Basil 🌿 Pesto Fusilli - with homemade Basil Pesto

After finding out this healthy version of pasta which is my Quinoa beetroot pasta, I am making pasta dishes quite often.  This time I thought to make a creamy Basil 🌿 Pesto flavored with roasted veggies 🌶 

So making it was so easy. Just boiled pasta and roasted the veggies in butter. It has the goodness of zucchini, carrots, broccoli 🥦, bell peppers, coriander leaves and as a side crispy potatoes.  

Sauce a thickened version of cream and cheese 🧀 

You can see the crisp veggies, which is sautéed in high heat for just a couple of mins, and mixed only after the pasta is cooked in liquid. This helps retain the color and crispness of veggies. And about potatoes, shallow fried them and sprinkled pink salt, onion powder, garlic powder and tossed. Don't add them to pasta until you serve :)

Ingredients:

Pasta - 1 cup

Fresh cream - 1/2 cup

Cheese - 1 cube

Potatoes - 2 no 

Zucchini, egg plant, red and green bell pepper, carrots 🥕 , green peas - 1 cup

Basil Pesto sauce : home made (recipe included) - 3 tbsp

Garlic chopped - 1 tsp

Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp

Ginger chopped - 1 tsp

Onion powder - 1tsp

Oregano - 1 tsp

Salt as required 

Coriander leaves chopped - 1 tbsp

Basil seeds - 1 sprig chopped

Sesame & Coconut (1:1) Oil to sauté the veggies - 1 tbsp

Method:

Boil water in a pan with a little salt and vegetable oil.
When it boils, add pasta and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.  Drain and wash in cold water. Keep aside to cool.

In a non stick pan, pour oil and sauté chopped ginger and garlic chopped. Now add all veggies and sauté in high heat for 2 mins. Remove and keep it aside. In remaining oil add pesto and cook for a minute. Add cream and 1/4 cup water and cook for a minute. Add salt and all powders and cook. Add to it grated cheese. Once it melts completely. Add the cooked pasta and mix well.


Add veggies after taking the pasta into a bowl. Give it a rough mix.

For frying potatoes, cut potatoes length wise. Cook for 5 mins in boiling water and drain water. Wash in cold water. Pat dry and shallow fry them in oil until golden. Drain off excess oil and sprinkle pink salt, onion powder, garlic powder and tossed.