Pasta with Pesto & Summer Veggies

Take advantage of the fresh summer basil and make some pasta with pesto! Mix in a few seasonal vegetables and you’re set with a simple meal full of flavor. You can even make the pesto in bulk since it freezes well and defrosts quickly, giving you an easy last minute meal to prepare for when you aren’t in the mood or don’t have time to cook.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 300 g fettuccine
• 1 pound raw frozen shrimp
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• salt

Pesto (makes extra)

• 2 cups basil, packed
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast or parmesan
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp pine nuts or almonds
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor and purée. Add one tbsp of water at a time to achieve desired consistency. Reserve half of the pesto for the recipe and the rest can either be frozen or refrigerated.
2. Wash and then slice the zucchini into 1/8 inch slices. Thaw the raw shrimp in a colander. Rinse with cold water to speed up the thawing process. Wash and halve the cherry tomatoes.
3. Fill a large pasta pot 3/4 of the way with water. Bring to a boil and add a couple generous pinches of salt. Cook the pasta following the instructions on the package.
4. As the pasta cooks, in a large frying pan heat up 2-3 tbsp of olive oil on high heat. Test the heat by adding one zucchini slice. If it immediately sizzles then add the rest to create one layer so all slices make contact with the pan (may have to do in multiple batches depending on size of frying pan). Once the zucchini slices have browned on the bottom, flip them over and let them cook for an additional 3 minutes. Remove them from the pan and place in a large serving bowl.
5. In the same large frying pan, add 1 tbsp of oil if needed and reduce heat to medium, add in the cherry tomatoes and the shrimp, making sure each shrimp makes contact with the bottom of the pan. Cook the shrimp on each side for 3 minutes or until pink and opaque. Then transfer cherry tomatoes and shrimp to the serving bowl.
6. Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain it and add to the serving bowl. Immediately add in the pesto and mix until everything is thoroughly combined.