Sometimes you’ll call food ridiculous names just to make it exciting to the small humans who need to eat it. I am glad to have heard so many people referred to pesto pasta as “green spaghetti”. Last year I began to challenge myself to eating and serving fewer meals with meat in them each week. This was a way that I felt I could contribute the most to water conservation. After learning exactly how much water it takes to get meat to the table, my oldest son and I were pretty shocked and decided that we needed to be more conscious of that. This meal is a meatless winner. FULL of vegetables and totally satisfying.

You will need the following:

• 1 package whole wheat spaghetti (linguini, shells, farfalle… whatever you like will work)
• 1 cup pesto THIS PESTO RECIPE is a less expensive version, made with walnuts but any recipe or even store bought will do.
• 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces woody ends discarded
• 1 head romanesco, broken down into bite sized pieces
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, ripped into small pieces for garnish
• 1/2 cup freshly shaved or grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pine nuts

Directions:

1. While your salted water is coming to a boil, pour a bit of olive oil into a hot skillet and begin to sautee the romanesco. When it begins to soften, add the asparagus. after a couple minutes, add the garlic and the peas. Continue to sautee for a few minutes more or until the veggies have reached your desired tenderness.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain.
3. In a large bowl, toss pasta, veggies and pesto together until fully incorporated. Garnish with chopped nuts, torn basil and cheese. Serve immediately.

This meal is about $15 to make, is packed with nutrients, is satisfying and EXTREMELY easy. I hope you dig 🙂

Swearing Mom out.