Roasted Veggie Pesto Pasta

overhead shot of roasted vegetable pesto pasta on small white plate with hand twisting in silver fork

5 from 1 vote

This pasta is wrapped in a silky homemade pesto and loaded with delicious roasted vegetables! This will serve 4 modest portions or 3 hefty portions.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Food Processor & Spatula (for pesto)
Large Pot & Tongs (for cooking pasta)
15.5" x 10.5" Baking Tray (or similar size)
Large Mixing Bowl (for combining everything)
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
Fine Cheese Grater

Ingredients

Pesto Pasta

10.5oz / 300g Linguine, or other long cut pasta
1 small bunch (1oz/30g) Fresh Basil
1 small bunch (1oz/30g) Fresh Parsley
1/2 cup / 120ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup / 40g freshly grated Parmesan
4 tbsp Pine Nuts, optionally toasted
1 clove of Garlic, peeled
1/4 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper, or to taste
crumbled Feta, to serve

Roasted Veggies

1 medium Courgette/Zucchini, halved & sliced into chunky half moons (7oz/200g total)
2 medium Peppers, cored & diced into large chunks (7oz/200g total)
2 small Red Onions, peeled, halved & diced into quarters (7oz/200g total)
7oz / 200g Cherry Tomatoes
4 cloves of Garlic, left in skins & lightly crushed with the palm of your hand
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Black Pepper

Instructions

Pesto: Add parsley, basil, parmesan, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and s&p to a food processor. Turn on the motor and blitz until well combined. Stop halfway and use a spatula to scrape down the sides.
Roasted Veg: Preheat oven to 220C/430F. Combine courgette/zucchini, peppers, onion, olive oil and s&p on a large greaseproof baking tray. Place in the oven for 15-20mins, or until the veg has softened and started to lightly char. Take out the oven, add cherry tomatoes and use a spatula to give everything a toss. Place back in the oven for another 8-10mins, or until the tomatoes begin to burst/wilt and the veg is lightly charred (but not burnt!). Timings will vary slightly based on the size of the veg and the spacing between it, so just be vigilant.
Pasta: Meanwhile, add pasta to heavily salted boiling water and cook until al dente. When ready, use your tongs to transfer the pasta straight from the pot into a large mixing bowl. Leave the leftover water in the pot.
Combining: Scrape all the pesto onto the pasta, then add around 1/3cup of the leftover pasta water. Use tongs to toss everything until the pesto clings to the pasta. If it looks like it's drying out or turning greasy/oil just toss in a splash more pasta water. Discard roasted garlic, then toss in the roasted veggies.
Serve: Test for seasoning then serve individual portions with crumbled feta.

Video

Notes

a) Parsley - For traditional pesto you'd use all basil, but I like to switch it up here and use 50:50 basil:parsley. I just like the slightly more subtle flavour to wrap around the veggies.

b) Veggies - I use the above veggies because that's usually what's knocking about in my fridge, but mainly because I feel the flavour combo works best in this context. However, if you'd prefer to use different veggies that are suitable for roasting (broccoli, cauliflower, aubergine/eggplant etc) then go for it! I recommend just roughly sticking to the total weight of the veggies above.

c) Pasta Water - This is an important ingredient because it emulsifies the fats and creates a nice glossy, almost creamy pesto sauce. Just make sure your pasta water is well salted and try to fill up the pot too much with water. Otherwise it won't be that starchy.

d) Serving/Leftovers - The leftover heat from the veggies and pasta will ensure this dish is served hot. Do not heat it in a pan because the basil/parsley will burn and the pesto will turn greasy. Any leftovers just tightly store in the fridge then bring to room temp before eating.

e) Calories - Based on the whole recipe divided by 4 (1/2 cup feta total).

Nutrition