Pesto Pasta with Spring Roasted Veggies

Ingredients

• Pasta - use your fave! I love curly noodles because the pesto gets all tucked into those beautiful ridges. Legume or whole grain pastas are what I usually use for nutritious, protein-packed meals. For brands, I absolutely love Delallo and also love buying local, fresh pasta when I can. In Madison, RP's Pasta Company is such a treat!
• Asparagus - for earthy & grassy flavors, plus SO delicious when roasted.
• Mushrooms - for a meaty texture and earthy, umami flavor.
• Sun-dried tomatoes - the kind packed in oil... SO flavorful.
• Parsley - for a freshness boost.
• Pesto - vegan parsley walnut pesto, or your favorite pesto!

Substitutions & Variations

Pasta is SO versatile. You can easily make substitutions or variations to fit your cravings, available ingredients, and/or nutritional needs.

• Spicy - Sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top before serving.
• Veggies - Mushrooms and asparagus are some of my favorite spring vegetables, both for roasting and for enjoying with pasta, but other spring veggies (such as leeks and cauliflower) would also be delicious. At the end of the day, it's hard to go wrong with veggies and pasta smothered in pesto!
• Even more salty - Toss in a bunch of kalamata olives (or your favorite kind of olive), and if you don't need to keep it plant-based, sprinkle parmesan over the top. Both olives and parmesan add delicious saltiness!
• Extra protein - Add some chopped chicken (grilled, rotisserie, or however you like it prepared), tuna, or sautéed chickpeas for some additional protein, flavor, and texture.
• Gluten free - Just make sure to use gluten free pasta! Legume-based, brown rice, or quinoa pasta are all excellent options.

Instructions

First, you'll roast the veggies, so get your oven to a nice and hot 425 degrees. Chop the asparagus into one or two-inch pieces, and chop the mushrooms into quarters. Line everything up on a sheet pan (line with parchment paper for low mess), drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Get those veggies all nicely coated, then pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes. You know roasted veggies are done when they're nicely browned and collapsed.

About halfway through the veggie roasting time, you can start boiling water for pasta. Make sure to generously salt your pasta, and cook according to package instructions. Because we want the pasta dish to be warm when served, drain the pasta but don't rinse it with cool water. Instead, add it right into the bowl where you'll be tossing it all together.

Once the veggies are done, take them out of the oven and transfer them to pasta bowl, along with the sun-dried tomatoes. Toss together and coat the pasta in some of that lovely sun-dried tomato oil.

Then, spoon plenty of pesto over the top, and toss to coat! Add some chopped parsley before serving for some extra freshness.

Pro Tip: Dry toast a large handful of walnuts in a skillet until fragrant, then roughly chop them for a crunchy pasta topping!

Pesto Pasta FAQs