Green Vegetable Pesto Penne With Balsamic Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

250 grams penne pasta
200 grams broccoli
100 grams cherry tomatoes
60 grams baby spinach
20 grams basil
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 cloves garlic
1 zucchini
0.5 onion
2 tbsp Greek yoghurt*
balsamic vinegar*
extra virgin olive oil*
salt & pepper*

*pantry item

Prep:

– pre-heat oven to 220C
– pop a pan of salted water on to boil
– rinse, cut broccoli into small florets and grate them stem
– wash cherry tomatoes
– wash and thinly slice zucchini
– peel and finely chop onion
– peel and crush garlic
– wash baby spinach and basil

Method:

1. Combine tomatoes with vinegar and olive oil in a roasting pan or baking tray lined with baking paper. Season well with salt & pepper. Cook in oven, shaking pan halfway through cooking, for about 8 to 12 minutes, or until browned and blistered. You could do this in a non stick frying pan if you prefer not to use the oven on a warm day!
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to packet directions. Add broccoli florets in last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain. Keep warm.
3. While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a saucepan over a medium to low heat. Add broccoli stem with onion, zucchini and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until very tender.
4. Add yoghurt and a dash of water. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Using a stick blender, blend with spinach, basil and parmesan until almost smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.
5. Combine pasta with pesto and top with tomatoes.