Pasta with Plenty of Veggies in a Creamy Nut Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves garlic with skin
1 pound fusilli, bow-ties or penne pasta, preferably whole grain OR use brown rice pasta like fusilli, bow-ties or penne
1 onion, cut, 1/8-inch julienne
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut 1/4-inch julienne
4 ounces crimini mushrooms, about 2 cups, thinly sliced
2 small zucchini, sliced 1/4 inch thick, about 2 cups
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 cup pistachio nuts, dry-roasted
1 cup fresh parsley, stems removed
1/3 cup tarragon, stems removed
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 pinch hot pepper flakes or as desired
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Warm the olive oil into a small saucepan over low heat. Add the unpeeled garlic and allow to cook slowly until it is soft, but not brown,while you get the other ingredients organized, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oil and allow to cool. Reserve the oil.
Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil
Warm 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, mushrooms and zucchini and continue to cook an additional 6 - 8 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and spinach and turn off the heat
Put the pasta on to cook until al-dente. Drain and reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking water. Return the drained pasta to the pot.
Meanwhile, chop the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor until finely ground. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin, and add it to the food processor, along with the parsley and tarragon leaves and pulse to combine. Pulse in the salt and lemon zest. With the machine running, slowly pour in the remaining olive oil. Scraping down the ingredients as necessary to ensure they are evenly blended.
Turn the heat back on under the veggies to heat them through. Combine the veggies and the pasta. Add the pureed nut/herb mixture and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water; stir. Swirl the remaining pasta water into the food processor to release any ingredients sticking to the sides, pour over the pasta and veggies. Taste and adjust seasonings, add hot pepper flakes and pepper as desired.
Ladle pasta into bowls and serve.

Nutrition Information