Pesto Baked Ziti
This Pesto Pasta Bake is so simple to make and such a quintessential summer dish! It's filled with a delicious basil pesto and your choice os summer veggies for a dish that everyone will love!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 1 cup spinach tightly packed (can sub arugula or leave our completely)
- 1 ½ cups basil tightly packed
- ½ cups pine nuts or other nuts
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup parmesan or pecorino cheese I used a mixture of the 2
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Pesto Baked Ziti:
- 1 pound ziti pasta or pasta of choice
- 1 large yellow squash cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- ½ pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large casserole dish.
- Cook the ziti pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto by combining all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and process until the nuts are almost completely broken down. About 1 minute. See photo above for reference on texture.
- Once the pasta is done, drain and add it to the prepared baking dish. Mix in the pesto and veggies until fully combined. Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the cheese just begins to brown on the top. Serve immediately and ENJOY!!
Notes
-You can use whatever summer veggies you'd like in this dish! Zucchini, onion, bell pepper, and eggplant would all be delicious in this.
-Make this vegan by using my VEGAN PESTO recipe and omitting the cheese on top of the pasta bake OR subbing it for a vegan version!
Nutrition
Calories: 678kcal | Carbohydrates: 63g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 385mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1368IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 335mg | Iron: 3mg
