Years ago we were watching the movie Billy Elliot one Sunday afternoon in the movie theatre. During the film Romi leaned over to me. I thought she was starting to get fresh, but instead of whispering sweet nothings, she proclaimed that she was craving pasta and pesto. So when we got home from the theatre, we put our own spin on this traditional Italian dish.

Depending on whether you’re gluten intolerant, want a pasta with more protein, or just want traditional semolina pasta, you can use what you like best. Pasta options are listed in the Ingredients.

It took a few tries to get this recipe just right.  We encourage you to play with variations on the vegetables and seasonings. Add different Remember, pile on the vegetables to make it more filling and nutritious. Just know that whenever you need a pasta fix, this one’s the ticket! It’s tasty and nutritious.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

♥ 1 package Lundgrens brown rice penne pasta OR for more protein, try Explore Cuisine’s Organic Green Lentil Pasta OR Banza Chickpea Pasta. If you want a traditional wheat pasta that many people with gluten intolerance tolerate, try Einkorn Pasta, which is made from a heritage wheat strain and has more protein than traditional semolina pasta.
♥ 1 teaspoon organic Extra Virgin olive oil
♥ 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
♥ ½ cup diced carrots (fresh or frozen)
♥ 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
♥ ¼ cup mixed, pitted gourmet olives (or any pitted olives you like)
♥ 5 cloves chopped garlic
♥ ½ lb organic turkey sausage (optional)
♥ Basic Pesto sauce. Yes, you can make your own, but with so many wonderful pre-made options, the time suck of making our own, with two kids and running our companies, just doesn’t seem worth it. We use Trader Joe’s Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto. It’s delicious. Pick one you love.
♥ ¼ to ½ cup chopped walnuts
♥ Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking instructions

1. Put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Once the water boils, cook the pasta to taste. We like ours slightly al dente.
2. While the water is heating, cook the sauce. Start by adding the olive oil to a large pan on medium heat.
3. Next add the peas and sauté for 5 minutes if fresh, or until defrosted and soft if frozen.
4. Add the diced carrots. Sautee the carrots with the peas for 3 minutes.
5. Add the organic turkey sausage (optional), olives, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and sauté for another 5 minutes. Cover and remove pan from heat.
6. In a large bowl, put the cooked, drained pasta, then pour the sauce into the bowl. Mix the pasta and the sauce.
7. Once served, top with the amount of pesto each person would like and sprinkle on the walnuts to taste.

Nutrition per serving (approximate)

The exact nutritional content can change depending on which pasta you use and if you add different vegetables. The nutrition values for this dish were calculated without the optional ingredients. If you add chicken sausage, it will increase the protein and fat content.

Calories….208
Total fat 11.9 g
Saturated fat 0.9 g
Cholesterol 2 mg
Sodium 13 mg
Potassium 231 mg
Total carbohydrate 18.8 g
Dietary fiber 4.3 g
Total sugars 3.5 g
Protein 9.4 g
Vitamin D 0 mcg
Calcium 30 mg
Iron 1 mg

Bon appetit!

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