Garlic Pesto Pasta with Carrots & Zucchini

Garlic Pesto Pasta with Carrots and Zucchini is a one pot meal that is easy to make and immensely satisfying. Serve with chicken or fish or as a standalone vegetarian dish; it’s perfect!

I originally made this Garlic Pesto Pasta with Carrots & Zucchini right after I had pulled up all of my basil and made some homemade pesto. It is amazing what the return is for a HUGE basil plant; I was lucky to get a little jelly jar of pesto from my efforts.

It went too fast and I wanted more of this pasta dish so I’ve been using a purchased product and it’s been great too; not as great as homemade but I didn’t want to wait a year to make it again.

While I added zucchini and carrots to my pasta; use your imagination. Know what my imagination led me to? I had both vegetables in the fridge as leftovers…that took them to the top of the list!

I had pulled this pasta together midday and by evening some of my favorite kids had showed up at my door.

I don’t kid myself; while I know they like me OK, it is the beauty of a room in my house that they can all convene in from their individual homes that draws them here and OK, sometimes maybe the food.

It’s usually Lee from across the street and Zoey and Lily, twins who live up the street, that arrive as a pack. These three have been friends since all of us moved onto this street at the same time five years ago and I’ve loved watching their relationship grow, I’m betting they will be friends forever! 

Lily and Zoey are not identical and their personalities are SO different and Lee is a great buffer; he likes them both.

Lee is also the pickiest eater of the three. I have managed to get him to try some new things that he used to make faces over and that’s a nice reward. As is getting him to stop with the comments.

Where he would once say ‘yuck’ to something he didn’t think he would care for, he has listened to me and now will use my mantra to tell others, ‘Don’t yuck her yum!’

I have preached enough they get it; you don’t have to eat it but you don’t get to make faces or disparaging comments either…a good life lesson, right?

So, when I asked if they wanted some of this pasta that I had on the stove, two of them begged me to remove the veggies. I do know when to pick my battles so agreed to that and served all of them a bowl with garlic bread on the side. What was the verdict? OMG…the love was amazing!

Lee, who is so hard to please, said to me almost verbatim that this was the best pasta he had ever had in HIS LIFE and made me promise that I would get the recipe to his mom!

The promise was made and then…the holidays hit and life got wacky. I never forgot that I had made this, but I sure didn’t find time to post it for you either and there is no time like the present. I loved the basic flavor and yes, I added carrots and zucchini but honestly, add what you have or what you love.

I could see mushrooms and peas or broccoli instead of the zucchini. In summer try it with some garden tomatoes…I can’t wait!

I think the key to the success of this simple dish is cooking the noodles in broth; they are so flavorful. Reminds me a bit of this One Pot Tomato and Basil Pasta but this has a lighter sauce. Both are fantastic…and EASY!

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Garlic Pesto Pasta with Carrots and Zucchini

Barbara Baker

Garlic Pesto Pasta with Carrots and Zucchini is a one pot meal that is easy to make and immensely satisfying. Serve with chicken or fish or as a standalone vegetarian dish; it's perfect!

5 average from less than 50 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Vegetables

Cuisine American

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 388 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ½ medium onion diced
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 3 cups chicken stock Use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian
• ½ pound thin spaghetti or angel hair pasta
• 2-4 tablespoons Basil Pesto
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup carrots sliced and cooked
• 1 cup zucchini sliced and cooked al dente
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Lemon wedges for Garnish

Instructions

 

• In a large pot, combine the oil and butter and melt over medium low heat.
• Add the onion and cooked until translucent (about 5 minutes) Add the minced garlic and saute for 1 – 2 minutes more until garlic is fragrant (watch carefully, it should not brown).
• Add the chicken stock to the pot, raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the stock comes to a boil; add the noodles to the boiling broth.
• Cook the pasta according to package directions; the pasta will absorb almost all of the broth.
• When pasta is cooked through, remove it from heat and add the basil pesto and heavy cream and mix in gently. Mix in the carrots and zucchini. Season with salt and pepper.
• Serve and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Notes

If you don’t have leftover veggies like I did; you can use fresh or frozen and either roast, steam, or microwave them first.

 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Garlic Pesto Pasta with Carrots and Zucchini

Serving Size

 

1 Serving

Amount per Serving

Calories

388

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

25

g

38

%

Cholesterol

 

30

mg

10

%

Sodium

 

385

mg

17

%

Carbohydrates

 

32

g

11

%

Protein

 

10

g

20

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Calories

388

Keyword carrots, garlic, pasta, pesto, zucchini

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