What's for Dinner? Pesto Pasta Primavera!

I was thinking we needed some major veggies tonight...we hadn't had many lately.  We had MORE zucchini from the garden and I made a ton more pesto from the ridiculous amount of basil that keeps popping up. I went to the store and got a few more of our favorites, and threw this dish together.  We were about half way through dinner and Sully yelled..."HEY! There's no MEAT in here!"  Well, he obviously didn't mind too much, 'cause he ate it up and said it was great.  Every once in a while it's nice to be a vegetarian, if only for one meal!  Oh, and our little boy Finn loved it, too...at least most of it!  Enjoy!

Pesto Pasta Primavera

Serves 4-6

• 1 pkg (9 oz) fresh, refrigerated linguine (or a little more than half a box dry)
• kosher salt
• 1 crown broccoli, cut into florettes
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP Brummel & Brown spread or butter
• ½ onion, diced
• ½ bunch pencil asparagus, woody ends cut off and then cut into 2-3 sections*
• 1 carton sliced mushrooms
• ½ red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• ½ zucchini, cut into half moons
• ½ cup fresh basil pesto
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Roma or Campari tomatoes, cut in large pieces
• grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

In a large pot, bring salted water to boil. Once boiling, add broccoli and cook for 3 minutes.

While broccoli cooks, in a large skillet over high heat, add olive oil and butter and add onion and pepper and sauté 1 minute.  Add zucchini and asparagus and continue cooking 1 more minute.  Use a slotted spoon to remove broccoli from the boiling water, and add it and mushrooms to the skillet and continue cooking until all veggies are cooked through and soft, 5-10 minutes (if you want to, add a couple of tablespoons of water and cover the skillet to let steam).

In the boiling water, add pasta and cook per instructions on container.  Drain but reserve ½ cup of cooking liquid and add to skillet with cooking veggies.  Return pasta to large pot and stir in pesto.

When all veggies are cooked through, add garlic and tomatoes and continue cooking 1 more minute and remove from heat. Add veggies to pot with pasta and combine gently.  Sprinkle with a generous amount of Parmesan and serve!

* If you can only find the thick-stemmed asparagus, cut as instructed, and cook in boiling water with broccoli (and follow same instructions for them).

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