There are a few chefs in our family who run on both sides. From my husband’s side, Braeden and Liza-Jane are seasoned pros in the kitchen. Both of them are wickedly smart attorneys with exceptionally big hearts & constantly learning how to make the next best dish. What’s best is they always share and invite us over for dinner. Liza-Jane remarked on the fresh taste of this pasta and it’s propensity to “fill you up” really well despite not having any meat, and she was right. They made this pasta dish for one of our summer family gatherings and it was gone in less than 15 minutes.
Pasta
1 lb of penne pasta
5 oz of basil pesto or 1 jar pre-made pesto
2 zucchinis sliced
2 yellow squash diced
1 red onion, cut into 1 inch cubes
15-20 mini bell peppers, tops removed
2 tablespoons of extra olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Basil Pesto
2 cups fresh packed basil
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄4 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic
1 tsp lemon zest
1⁄2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place zucchinis, squash, red onion and mini bell peppers on a baking sheet. Season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Bake for 20 minute and remove from the oven. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add pasta- cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain pasta and reserve 1⁄2 cup cooking liquid. If making basil pesto place basil, garlic, salt, pepper and lemon zest into a blender and blitz. Slowly add olive oil until smooth. Once completely blended stir in the Parmesan cheese. In a large bowl add cooks pasta, roasted vegetables, pesto and 1⁄2 cup of reserved cooking liquid. Toss to coat. Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
