Slightly Low Carb Pasta

 (From Banu's Cookbook)

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked low carb/high protein pasta (I used Barilla Red Lentil Penne)

4-5 cups of assorted veggies - Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Broccoli, Bell peppers, Onion, Carrots etc.

1/2 cup of chickpeas (optional)

3-4 tbsp of Pesto Sauce (I used store brought Delallo Simply Pesto Traditional Basil Pesto Sauce)

1-2 tbsp of smoked paprika / crushed red pepper flakes

1-2 tbsp of Italian Seasoning

Black pepper and Salt per Taste

Olive oil to saute vegetables.

Handful of fresh Basil leaves for Garnishing

For the Sauce:

3/4 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream

1/4 cup of Cream Cheese - softened at room temperature. 

3-4 Garlic Cloves - chopped finely

1 tbsp of Butter

2-3 pinches of grated nutmeg

black pepper and salt to taste

Method:

1. Boil the pasta per the directions on the box. I like mine a bit al dente. Rinse in cold water to stop cooking process. Measure out 1 cup of cooked pasta aside. 

2. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion and carrots first. Once they are slightly browned, add the rest of the veggies and cook on medium high heat. 

3. After 5-6 mins of cooking, add the italian seasoning, paprika / crushed red pepper, a bit of salt and mix well. 

4. Reduce the flame and allow the veggies to cook a bit more.

5. Meanwhile for the sauce, mix the softened cream cheese and whipping cream together. In a small pan, heat the butter. Add the chopped garlic cloves.

6. Once the garlic is browned, add the cream cheese and cream mixture and let it come to a boil. Reduce the flame, add some black pepper, pinch of salt and grated nutmeg. Mix well and boil it until it reduces a bit. If you like thin sauce, you do not have to reduce it much. 

7. Add the Pesto sauce and the cooked pasta to the vegetable mix. Mix well. Add the sauce and mix it all well together. 

8. Add salt if needed, add the basil leaves and mix well. Serve it hot with black pepper on top. 

Notes:

1. For the sauce, you can skip the cream cheese or replace it with Parmesan cheese. I like the texture better with cream cheese and I used very little of it. You can experiment with the measurements till you get a consistency that you like. 

2. You do not need flour for the sauce as both Cream Cheese and Cream thicken on their own when heated for a bit. 

3. You can add mushrooms, cauliflower or any vegetables that you like. You can add peas instead of chickpeas. I like the protein and texture of chickpeas, so I added them. 

4. If you do not want to use store bought pesto - here is a link for a Basil Pesto recipe that I had posted a while ago. 

5. You can add additional parmesan cheese on top if you like it and or season it with more fresh basil.