Pasta party!

Here is a pasta dish I made recently. I have posted some recipes on my FB page and my good friend, Mary reminded me that I need to post them on here. Sorry to be so lax in posting lately. Enjoy!

Penne Pasta with vegetables and spinach pesto

whole wheat penne pasta

1 onion, chopped

bell pepper – 1 green and 1 red, chopped

cherry tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, minced

olive oil

salt & pepper

pesto

spinach, I used frozen and just gave it a quick rinse to thaw out.

pistachios - a good handful

olive oil

2 garlic cloves

parmesan cheese

basil

salt

I don't measure when I cook so my amounts here are just estimates. Play around with your measurements, using a little at a time, until you get the amounts that taste right to you.

Get a pot of water boiling and salted. Put your pasta in the water and cook for about 7 – 8 minutes. You want it to be al dente.

Meanwhile, put your pesto ingredients into a food processor and blend. Keep blending together until you get a consistency similar to a lightly loose frosting. It should have just a slight thickness to it. Once it is done, set aside.

Put your vegetables in a pan over medium heat to saute except for the cherry tomatoes. Those will go in last so they don't turn into mush. Add the cherry tomatoes when the vegetables are soft and the onions are just translucent.

By now your pasta should be done. Remove from heat, drain, and add it to the vegetable mixture. Mix it all together well. Add the pesto and mix well.

Serve hot with a nice loaf of garlic bread, or whatever bread is your family's favorite.

~Teresa