Cilantro Pesto Pasta with Vegetables
Posted By Vardhini On November 21, 2012 @ 6:00 pm In Gallery,Healthy Recipes,Italian,Kid Friendly,Main Dish | 7 Comments
Ever since I started buying the blocks of parmesan cheese from Costco, I have been making a lot of pesto. After the spinach pesto and basil pesto last year, it was time to move on to cilantro pesto and I am glad I did since cilantro is mostly present at home and the pesto can be whipped up in minutes. Added to that, the whole family loves pasta and we have boxes of various kinds of pasta piled up in the basement most of the time.
Although just pasta with the pesto tastes great, I normally add a ton of vegetables as well. Sometimes I even add baked tofu since my kids love baked tofu. I have heard that pesto freezes well, but have not tried it. Off to the recipe.
Cilantro Pesto Pasta with Veggies
Pasta tossed with vegetables and cilantro pesto.
Ingredients:
- For Pesto
- cilantro - 1 cup - packed (coriander leaves)
- pine nuts - 1.5 tbsp - roasted
- olive oil - 1.5 tbsp
- garlic - 2 cloves
- parmesan cheese - 1.5 tbsp
- green chilly - 1
- For Vegetables
- olive oil - 1 tsp
- cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp (jeeragam)
- garlic - 2 cloves
- bell pepper - 1/2 cup - chopped
- eggplant - 1.5 cups - diced
- carrots - 1/4 cup - diced
- salt - to taste
- pepper - to taste
Instructions:
Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Take the ingredients mentioned for pesto in a blender or food processor and blend to a paste.
To prepare vegetables, heat olive oil and add cumin seeds and garlic. Next add the vegetables, salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender.
Toss the pasta with pesto and vegetables for a hearty meal.
1. You can toss in some baked tofu along with the vegetables.
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Pictorial
1. Take cilantro, roasted pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese and green chilly in a food processor or blender.
2. Blend to a smooth paste. Pesto ready.
3. Heat olive oil and add cumin seeds and garlic. Saute for a few seconds.
4. Add the vegetables.
5. Add salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables are tender. Sprinkle some water if needed.
6. Vegetables are cooked.
7. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Add pesto to it.
8. Mix well and toss in the vegetables.
Tasty pesto pasta ready.
Enjoy!
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