Three Veggie Penne

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes.  This was originally a recipe by Rachael Ray, but I tweaked it a bit.  In Rachael's version she boils the vegetables, but I prefer the flavor of roasted vegetables.  We rarely eat boiled or steamed veggies.  I also added a lot more of the vegetables.

Ingredients:
1 lb penne rigate
salt & pepper
1 lb asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 zucchinis, cut into 2 inch matchstick shapes
1/2 lb green beans, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted over med-low heat
1 cup basil, about 20 leaves
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 cup fresh parsley
1 lemon, zested
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil


Roast the veggies with olive oil and salt & pepper in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until browned.

Boil water for the pasta in a large pot, salt the water and cook until al dente.  While the water is coming to a boil, make the pesto sauce.  Combine the pine nuts, basil, tarragon, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, parmesan cheese, and salt & pepper in a food processor.  Turn on the food processor and stream in the olive oil until a thick sauce forms.

Before draining the pasta, add a couple ladles of the pasta cooking water to the pesto sauce in a large bowl.

Add the cooked pasta and roasted veggies to the bowl and toss to combine.  Serve with additional parmesan cheese on top.