The days of summer are upon us – for me that means being extremely busy. Weddings, happy hours, hikes; all good things, but not necessarily conducive to making healthy home cooked foods. Also, I’m not sure if you’ve heard, Seattle is unseasonable hot. Everyone here is melting away, surviving on ice cream, guacamole and fruit salads. This super quick and easy spicy basil veggie pasta was born out of the need to eat real food, and use up some of the wonderful vegetables making their way to the markets.
You can really make it with whatever you want – the basil, red pepper flakes, tomatoes and lemon juice really make the flavor – after that, add your veggies and protein as you wish. I originally made this meal with shrimp, but the buttery white beans were a lovely substitute.
Ingredients:
1/2 bag of pasta (whole wheat is my fav)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Cup cooked and drained white beans
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 bunch of swiss chard, cleaned and stems removed
1 Cup cherry tomatoes
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/4 Cup chopped basil
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Cook and drain the pasta according to package directions
Heat the olive oil in heavy skillet over medium heat
Brown the beans, adding salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
Add swiss chard and cherry tomatoes
Cook until tomatoes are blistered and chard is wilting
Mix beans, veggies and pasta with basil, lemon juice and parmesan cheese
Enjoy it piping hot or pack it up for lunch!