Pasta with roasted vegetables/ Whole wheat pasta with pesto

Veggie pasta

That picture has nothing to contribute to the recipe. It can only be the evidence to show why I feel lethargic to go to the kitchen these days. This is our back yard garden, a piece of land put to aesthetic use by the previous home owner. I bow down in gratitude and spend a good part of Summer days lazing around with some drink and complaining there is no time to make a full course dinner.

I consider it a blessing to watch our garden blooming in different shades and scents. It is a handkerchief sized lot but it teams with life. There are chirping birds, buzzing bumble bees, rainbow winged flies, jewel like bugs and even a cute little chipmunk that eats from the bird feeder. Some strange visitors sneak in at night to inspect the place. One evening, I shocked a skunk and it dispersed its nasty stink in the air for a while. The other day, I turned on a light and surprised a raccoon that scurried into the darkness. I spend a considerable amount of time out there, drinking morning coffee, iced drinks or evening tea in the midst of such lovely company. One of my many simple pleasures of life!

I do whip up a quick meal like this when I have the urge to cook. Baked vegetable pasta is a one dish meal without any other accompaniments. It is a Summer time food when basil is growing in the garden and fresh vegetables fill the markets and you don’t want to toil in the kitchen. I added a heck lot of vegetables to make it really wholesome. There is also a good heap of pesto action in it to bring everything together. Chopping the veggies is the main task, then it is the mixing of all the goodness.

Ingredients

• 2 zucchini
• 1 medium egg plant
• 8 mushrooms
• few pieces of carrot
• few broccoli
• 1 medium tomato
• ½ green pepper/ Capsicum
• ½ cup basil pesto
• 1½ cup whole wheat pasta ( preferably Rotini, as the pesto sticks well in the grooves)
• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil to spray
• 2 tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat oven at 350° F.
2. Spread foil on a baking tray and spray vegetable oil.
3. Roast sliced zucchini, egg plant and carrot on the foil in a single layer with a dash of salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 30 minutes or until it is cooked and slightly browned.
5. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large heavy bottom pan and sauté mushroom, broccoli and green pepper until all water evaporates.
6. Remove the roasted vegetables from the baking tray and add to the pan.
7. Make basil pesto. (Basil pesto recipe here .)
8. Boil water in a pan and add salt.
9. Add pasta to the boiling water and cook uncovered for 10 minutes till al dente. (It should be cooked to retain its firmness but not hard for chewing.)
10. Drain the water form the pasta and collect ½ cup of that water.
11. Add the pasta to the vegetables in the pan and add chopped tomato.
12. Pour the pasta water into the pan and mix well.
13. Add pesto and give it a good stir to coat everything in its richness.
14. Turn off the stove and sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese.
15. Serve warm veggie pasta after it rests for a while.

Roast zucchini and egg plant with some left over carrots.

Sauté some more vegetables – mushroom, broccoli and green pepper.

This pasta has the aroma of roasted vegetables and the pesto makes it quite moist. I like this because it is easy to make and my family loves it. It is a very satisfying, tasty meal worth a try.

Advertisement