Simple, practical, and full of everyday flavour, Zesty Pesto Pasta with Rainbow Chard, Zucchini, Red bell pepper is a vegan, vegetarian Italian pasta made with packed basil, evoo, and walnuts in about 35 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.
Recipe Snapshot
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2
- Category: Pasta
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Walnut pesto
- 1 cup packed basil (about 1 oz)
- 2 tbsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil)
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp or more water
Pasta
- 2 cups uncooked pasta (6 to 8 oz)
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
- 1/2 red bell pepper (chopped)
- 3 to 4 large chard leaves (hard stems removed and chopped)
- 1/2 a large zucchini chopped
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- salt (about 1/3 tsp and black pepper to taste)
- zest of 1/2 a lime or 1/4 lemon (add more to preference)
Method
Pesto:
- Process all the ingredients in a food processor until coarsely blended. You can use all basil or 1/4 cup cilantro + 3/4 cup basil.
Pasta
- Cook the pasta according to instructions on the package.
- Meanwhile heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil when hot and tilt the pan to coat. Add garlic, bell pepper and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 minutes or until garlic is translucent.
- Add chopped chard, zucchini and pepper flakes. Mix. Cover and cook until the chard is wilted. Add a splash of water if needed.
- Add the prepared pesto and mix in.
- Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix in. Taste and adjust.
- Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Add in the zest and mix in. Taste and add more zest if needed. Garnish with <a href="" target=_blank"> pepita parmesan or other nut based parm and serve.
Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note
Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.
