Quick Summer Veggie Pasta
Summer veggies like squash and cherry tomatoes combine with flavorful pesto for a quick and easy yet super tasty meal
Ingredients
- 2 cups squash or zucchini peeled and chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 medium eggplant peeled and chopped
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 2 cups marinara sauce (jarred or homemade)
- 4 tbsp pesto
- 4 tbsp grated pecorino romano
- 4 tbsp chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water 2 minutes less than the directions on the box say
- Before draining the pasta, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water and set aside
- In a large skillet, heat up avocado oil to medium-high heat
- Add the squash/zucchini and eggplant to the pan and leave to brown for 2-3 minutes on one side
- Once the veggies have browned on one side, flip over and allow to brown on the other side for another 2-3 minutes
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan along with salt and pepper and mix everything together
- Add marinara sauce to the pan along with the pasta cooking water and let liquid come to a boil
- Lower the heat to medium-low and add the pasta and the pesto sauce to the pan
- Stir to combine everything together and let cook for 2 more minutes until the pasta is tender
- Taste before serving and add more salt and pepper if needed
- Serve up with 1 tbsp each of grated pecorino romano and a fresh basil per bowl
Notes
Make this a low-carb dish using an alternative pasta like lentil or chickpea!