Make This Veggie Forward Pasta Dish!

Fresh Garden Pasta Sauce & Walnut Pesto Ricotta

RECIPE

Serves 4-5 People

Ingredients:

Walnut Pesto Ricotta

• 1 Cup of Fresh Basil

• 3-4 Cloves of Garlic

• 3-5 Tablespoons of Chopped Walnuts

• ⅓ Cup of Parmesan

• Salt & Pepper to Taste

• ⅓ Cup of Olive Oil

• 1 Cup of Ricotta Cheese

Preparation:

1. Combine all ingredients except the ricotta cheese into the food processor & blend on the medium high setting.

2. Turn the mixture out into a medium sized bowl & add the ricotta cheese, mixing until just combined. Set aside.

Fresh Garden Pasta Sauce

• 3 -Medium Sized Fresh Tomatoes

• 1-2 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

• 2 Tablespoons of Fresh Basil

• 2 Tablespoons of Fresh Oregano

• 1 Tablespoon of Fresh Rosemary

• 1 Bay Leaf

• 1 Tsp of Fennel Seed

• 4 Cloves of Garlic

• 4 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

• 1 Carrot, Grated & Shredded

• 2 Cups of Kale, Shredded (With or Without Stems...I Use the Stems)

• 1 Large Onion, Chopped

• 1 Bell Pepper, Chopped

• 1 Large Zucchini, Cubed or Shredded

• 3-4 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste

• 1 Cup of Fresh Mushrooms (Baby Bella, Button, Portabella, etc)

• 1-2 Cups of Water

• Salt & Pepper to Taste

• Pasta of Your Choice

Preparation:

1. Sautée onion in olive oil with sliced mushrooms & bell pepper.

2. Add garlic & grated carrot.

3. Stir in zucchini (you can dice or grate it) & kale.

4. Add tomatoes (I like to just chop them up roughly, but pureeing them is a move).

5. Add tomato paste & water, mixing to evenly combine

6. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the veggies are just cooked. Sometimes I simmer them for longer, but I like the veggies to still have a bite to them.

7. Salt & Pepper to taste. I always leave this up to the cook's discretion.

8. Serve with pasta (either toss it in the pasta sauce or serve with the sauce on top) and a dollop of your walnut pesto ricotta!

Tips:

1. I like a bite to my vegetables, so I usually only simmer this for 20 minutes. Simmer longer if you must!This is easily a great crock pot recipe to simmer on high for 2-3 hours.

2. You can add any vegetables that you like, really. If you don’t like kale, spinach is a great substitute! If you have yellow squash instead of zucchini, go for that instead.

3. Like spicy flavors? Add some red pepper flakes or a chile pepper to the mix! You won’t be disappointed!

4. If you want a protein, add a LB of ground meat or sausage in there.