Orechiette with pesto sauce, zucchini, tomatoes, and pine nuts
This deliciously fresh pasta is all about using ingredients that celebrate summer’s bounty. Your favorite pesto sauce, tender zucchini, ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil all combined with perfectly al dente pasta for a quick-and-easy dinner idea. Orechiette, or small ear-shaped pasta, works well with this dish because its shape naturally catches and holds the bright tasting pesto sauce very well. I used a homemade pesto made earlier this week that combines fresh mint, sliced almonds, briny capers, and garlic, but a traditional basil pesto would be a delicious counterpart. Toss all of these seasonal ingredients together with the buttery crunch of pine nuts to create a summer spectacular for your taste buds.
Sautéed zucchini and tomatoes with pine nuts
(To view the recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
The Perfect Summertime Pasta
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. orechiette pasta
- 1 cup of pesto sauce (store bought or homemade)
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large zucchini, cut into half-moons
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup of pine nuts
- ¼ cup of fresh basil, torn for garnish
- Shaved Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain the cooked pasta, place it in a large mixing bowl, and toss it together with the pesto sauce.
- In the meantime, in a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add in the cut zucchini and sauté for 3 minutes or until tender. Add in the diced tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes. Add the pine nuts to the mixture and stir together.
- Place the cooked vegetables and pine nut mixture in the large mixing bowl with the pesto-coated pasta. Toss well, and serve with torn basil and a sprinkling of shaved cheese.
Tagged: basil, mint, orechiette, Parmesan cheese, pasta, pesto, summer, tomatoes, vegetarian, zucchini
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