Arugula Pesto Penne with Sautéed Zucchini

This Arugula Pesto Penne with Sautéed Zucchini can be made in about 10 minutes, making this perfect for those busy weeknights! This is such a light and savory pasta dish!

Pasta dishes are one of the easiest meals to create and are so versatile. And yes, even though I’m gluten free I can still enjoy pasta. 🙂

I’ve tried several different brands, and one of my favorites so far is DeLallo. The taste is almost the same as regular pasta, and it doesn’t stick together much when cooking. There are some gluten free pasta brands that really get sticky when cooking which can be frustrating.

I decided to pair their Penne with a homemade Arugula Pesto and some sautéed Zucchini. The result? Absolutely delicious!

I only needed about half of the Arugula Pesto to make this. You can use the remainder of pesto to put on anything from Pizzas to Crostini, or even use it on baked chicken breasts (Pssst that recipe coming soon!). It’ll store for about 5 days in the fridge within an air tight container.

I hope you guys love this Arugula Pesto Penne with Sautéed Zucchini as much as I did! It’s:

• Easy to make
• Light
• Fresh
• Savory
• Comforting
• and 100% Satisfying

If you try this recipe let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, rate it, share it on social media, or take a picture and tag it tastefulventure on Instagram!

I LOVE seeing what you guys cook up. 🙂

Cheers!

Arugula Pesto Penne with Sautéed Zucchini

Print Recipe

• Author: Tastefulventure
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 20 mins
• Yield: 2-3 1x
• Category: Main Dish
• Cuisine: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 6 oz Penne Pasta (I used gluten free)
• 1 medium Zucchini sliced thin
• 3 cups Arugula
• 1 cup fresh Italian Flat Parsley
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1/4 cup Cashews
• 2 Tbs Capers drained and rinsed
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs EVOO divided
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Start by making the Pesto.
2. Add Arugula, Parsley, Parmigiano Reggiano, Cashews, Capers, Garlic, and 1/2 cup of EVOO to a food processor
3. Pulse 20-30 seconds, stopping and scraping down the sides in between
4. The texture should be smooth and not pasty
5. Add Salt and Pepper to taste
6. Makes approximately 1 cup, however you only need 1/2 cup of this pesto for this recipe (you can store remaining pesto in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days)
7. Set aside Pesto
8. Cook pasta as directed or until al dente
9. While pasta is cooking sauté Zucchini
10. In a large frying pan add 2 Tbs EVOO and heat over med/high heat
11. When oil is warm add Zucchini and sauté 2-3 minutes until slightly softened
12. Drain pasta and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water to thin out the sauce
13. Add pasta to Zucchini, add in 1/2 cup of Pesto
14. Slowly pour in some of the pasta water to create more of a thinner sauce, add enough water for your desired consistency
15. Sauté 1-2 minutes
16. Serve immediately
17. Enjoy!