Basil pesto sauce coated penne tossed with roasted asparagus, zucchini, and green beans. This three veggie pesto penne is sure to become your favorite pasta dish. Three veggie penne is my favorite pasta dish. Roasted veggies make this meal so flavorful and delicious. I like to use asparagus, zucchini, and green beans, but you could mix it up and use your favorites. This is a great meatless meal, but we have also added shredded chicken for some added protein.
I really love the flavor of the roasted vegetables in this veggie pesto penne. Roasting vegetables gives them a lovely nutty flavor that adds dimension to this dish. This is sure packed with a lot of fresh vegetables.
How It Is Made
When making this tasty pasta dish, you will prepare the different elements simultaneously. The veggies will roast in the oven while the pasta is cooking and you will make the pesto sauce while all that is going on. Don’t be scared because it’s easier than it sounds. It is multitasking with delicious results.
This three veggie penne pasta has a pesto sauce made with basil, parsley, and toasted pine nuts. It is absolutely delicious. You can make the pesto in a food processor or blender. All you need to do is chop up everything in the food processor and drizzle in olive oil until it forms a thick pesto sauce. A little of the cooking water from the pasta is added to the pesto to turn it into a nice sauce to coat everything. The starchiness makes it into an awesome sauce that sticks to the penne rigate. I really like to use the penne rigate because it has all those lines that grab onto the sauce.
Best Tools For The Job
These half sheet pans have become my favorite. I replaced my old, beat up pans with these and it has been amazing. They clean up so easy and never warp. It comes in a two-pack from Amazon.
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Three Veggie Penne With Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne rigate
- 1 lb asparagus
- 1/2 lb green beans
- 2 zucchini
- salt & pepper
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and put a pot of water on the stove on high heat for the pasta.
- Chop the asparagus and green beans into 2 inch pieces. Cut the zucchini into 2 inch long pieces about the same size and shape as the asparagus and green beans. Place on a baking sheet and coat with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
- Once the water is boiling, salt the water and cook the paste until al dente. Save a half cup of the pasta cooking water before you drain the pasta.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto sauce. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a small pan over low heat until they smell toasty. Combine the toasted pine nuts, basil, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt, and some pepper in a food processor or blender. Blend until chopped finely. Then stream in the olive oil until a thick sauce forms.
- Pour the pesto sauce into a large serving bowl and stir in the reserved pasta cooking water. Add the drained pasta and roasted veggies, tossing to combine. Serve with additional parmesan cheese on top.
This looks so delicious! What a great, fresh meal! Thank you for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party!! Have a great weekend.
Thanks for leaving a comment. This is one of my favorite pasta dishes.
Chloe, this sounds like a wonderful summer meal! And it’s pretty, too!
So pretty and fresh! Definitely a great summer meal.
Such a unique recipe! It is on my list to try next week!
I hope you love it!