Farmer's Market Pesto Pasta

I recently have discovered a new favorite place to visit for food... the farmer's market! They always carry produce that is much cheaper than at a grocery store, and it's almost always locally grown, which makes it even better! In my recent trip to the farmer's market, I bought a bunch of different vegetables and decided I wanted to incorporate them into a pasta recipe, so here it is!

Feel free to use any other vegetables in this, I pretty much just used what was in season and what looked best to me (although this combination did turn out to be pretty delicious). You could also definitely make your own pesto, but I used the Trader Joe's kale basil cashew pesto (which is vegan!) which helped sneak in some extra veggies! If you are trying to keep this recipe vegan and want to use store-bought pesto, be sure to check the ingredients because pesto often contains cheese. Hope you enjoy this recipe!

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Pasta Recipe

Serves 5

Ingredients:

- 1/2 large zucchini (or 1 small one)

- 1 stalk broccoli

- 5 pearl onions

- 7 white button mushrooms

- 5 mini sweet peppers

- 12-15 cherry tomatoes

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 cups dry pasta

- 1 tbsp vegetable oil

- 2 handfuls spinach

- 3/4 cup pesto

Steps:

1. Cut off ends of pearl onions and cut them in half.

2. Remove mushroom steps and cut the tops in half.

3. Remove broccoli florets from the stem.

4. Cut zucchini into 1-inch slices, then in half.

5. Remove stem and seeds from the peppers, then cut into 1/2 inch rings.

6. Cut cherry tomatoes in half.

7. Boil water in a high-walled skillet and in another pot and salt the water in both.

8. Add broccoli to skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until somewhat tender.

9. Drain the broccoli and rinse with cold water.

10. Add pasta to the other pot and cook according to package directions.

11. To the skillet, add oil and heat on medium heat.

12. Add onions, peppers, zucchini, broccoli, mushrooms, and garlic and stir.

13. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

14. Remove the lid after 5 minutes and cook for another 2 minutes.

15. Turn off the heat and use a slotted spoon or net to transfer pasta directly from water into the skillet (it's good if some of the pasta water gets in there!)

16. Add pesto, spinach, and tomatoes and stir to combine for about 1 minute, or until spinach is slightly wilted and everything is combined.

17. Add a bit more pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce a bit.

*Tip: If you like the broccoli a bit more tender, skip the boiling step.