Vegetarian Farfalle with a Zesty Pesto Sauce

This dish is a rather unusual one for me. I’m a self-confessed carnivore so cooking a veggie dish when it’s not strictly necessary (because I need to feed a veggie or because I can’t afford meat) is not my usual choice. However, every day is a school day and I’m home alone for the weekend so I thought I’d experiment. I was pretty impressed with the result, not feeling hungry afterwards and I found the sauce really tasty.

Vegetarian Farfalle with a Zesty Pesto Sauce
2015-05-02 21:50:48

Serves 2
Healthy wholewheat farfalle with a zesty pesto and tomato based sauce, with feta cheese and baby spinach.
Prep Time
5 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
20 min
For the sauce
- Glug of olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 jar green pesto
- 75g feta
- Handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped
- Handful of fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
For the pasta
- 150g wholemeal farfalle pasta
To prepare
- Finely chop the garlic and roughly chop the basil and spinach. Crumble the feta cheese.
- Set a pot of salted water on the hob and bring to the boil.
For the pasta
- Cook the pasta in the boiling water as per packet instructions. This is usually about 12-15 minutes.
For the sauce
- Once the pasta is on, heat some olive oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic for about 30 seconds over a medium heat until aromatic.
- Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and mix. Season well with pepper. Turn the heat up to high and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn the heat back to medium. Add the chopped spinach and basil reserving some basil for garnish, the pesto and the lemon juice. Stir well then stir in about 80% of the cheese. Allow to simmer.
To Serve
- Drain the pasta and divide onto two plates. Scoop some sauce onto each plate and crumble the remaining cheese over. Add some basil to garnish. Serve immediately.
Variations?
- Experiment with different types of pasta and different types of pesto until you find a combination you enjoy.
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