NomEatNom - Whole Wheat Vegetable Pasta with Fresh Basil and Lemon

This recipe has me so excited for so many reasons!

First of all, it was one of those recipes that you completely make up as you are doing it.

You fellow experimental chefs know the kind I mean.

That’s right, one of those throw-things-in-the-pan-and-see-what-happens kind of recipes.

My favorite.

Second of all, the majority of the ingredients were based on the steals the hubby found on sale that day. A huge sale on squash, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, AND fresh basil??

Yes, please!!

And the final reason I’m head over heels in love with this recipe??

Why, it’s incredible nomminess, of course!

I know, I know…I say that about every recipe. And I do truly mean it for each one.

But this one.

This one takes nommy to a whole new level.

Whole Wheat Vegetable Pasta with Fresh Basil and Lemon
(Serves 6)

Ingredients:

16 oz. whole grain pasta
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T virgin coconut oil
4 to 5 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 yellow squash, quartered and chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
16 oz. grape tomatoes
20 Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Sea salt, according to taste
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. all purpose seasoning (e.g. Mrs. Dash)
2 large bunches of fresh basil, chopped
Juice of two lemons
Freshly grated Romano cheese (optional)

In a large wok or skillet, heat one tablespoon of the coconut oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the garlic until golden. Add the onion, squash and remaining tablespoon of coconut oil to the pan and sauté until the veggies are almost tender. Stir in the mushrooms, grape tomatoes, olives, and all of the seasonings. When the vegetables are tender, remove the pan from the heat.

While the veggies cook, boil your pasta in a large pot. I boiled mine in a mixture of yogurt whey and water (about 3 parts whey and 1 part water). The yogurt whey adds an indescribable amount of creaminess to the noodles.

Seriously.

The hubby and I were astonished.

I gotta say, the more and more I experiment with whey, the more and more I love it!! This just keeps giving me more and more reasons to continue feeding my Greek yogurt addiction. 🙂

When the pasta is al dente, drain it and toss it with the olive oil and half of the lemon juice. Mix the vegetables evenly into the pasta.

Divide the pasta into serving bowls and drizzle each serving with the remaining lemon juice. Garnish with freshly grated Romano cheese and a bit of extra basil, if desired.

Savor the burst of nommy flavor in each and every bite! 🙂