Farfalle, Zucchini, and Bell Peppers in Pesto

Here's a quick pasta for an easy weeknight meal - it's a great way to use up leftover dry pasta in your pantry.

Cook 8 ounces uncooked farfalle pasta according to package directions; drain, then return to the pan. (I used the farfalle from Whole Foods' house brand).

The original recipe called to add 3 tablespoons commercial pesto. It can be awfully hard to find bottled pesto that does not contain cheese (although options do exist). Much more readily available, however, is concentrated pesto (the kind sold in a tube), which is basically just basil and oil. Since it's concentrated, however, I used half the amount called for - only 1 and 1/2 tablespoons - whisked into 1 and 1/2 tablespoons water. Add to the cooked pasta, and stir to combine.

Add 2 cups shredded zucchini, 1 cup diced red bell pepper, 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper, and 1/4 tsp. black pepper.

Stir in 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese in place of Parmesan (such as the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods).

Place 2 cups of pasta on each of 4 plates. Top each serving with an additional tablespoon of 'cheese'. Each serving is 350 calories.

Cost:
pesto $4.19
zucchini $1.94
red bell pepper $2.11