Penne Pesto with Green Beans and Tomatoes

Penne Pasta with Green Beans and Tomatoes is a high protein wholesome meal that takes about 20 minutes to make. Simple and delicious, this main dish contains pasta made with lentils – a legume packed with protein, thin French green beans, sweet tomatoes along with pesto and seasoning to bring all the ingredients together. Although Penne Pesto with Green Beans and Tomatoes is flavorful and nutritious, the dish is also beautiful to look at with the contrasting shades of green and red.

Penne Pesto with Green Beans and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces Tolerant Organic Red Lentil Penne Pasta (or your favorite penne pasta) – available at Whole Foods Markets
• 1 10-ounce bag of Villagio Marzano Tomatoes, chopped (or sweet grape tomatoes) – available at Trader Joe’s and most grocery stores
• 1 12-ounce bag of fresh Haricots Verts (thin French green beans) – available at Trader Joe’s and most grocery stores
• 1/4 cup of pesto (I use Seggiano’s Raw Basil Pesto or Red Pesto which are available at most Whole Food Markets)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of Penzy’s Spices Tuscan Sunset (a salt free Italian style seasoning made of sweet basil, Turkish oregano, red bell pepper, garlic, thyme, fennel, black pepper, and anise seed) or your favorite seasoning of choice

Directions:

• Chop the tomatoes into small pieces (halted and quartered). Set aside.
• Bring a medium size pot of water to boiling and add the green beans. Cook 3-4 minutes until just tender. Drain, rinse and cut into 1 inch pieces. Place in a large serving bowl. Add the chopped tomatoes.
• Drizzle the olive oil and the Tuscan Sunset seasoning over the vegetables and gently blend.
• Bring a large pot of water to boiling and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions (Tolerant Organic Red Lentil Penne cooks in about 8 minutes). Drain and add to the green beans and tomatoes.
• Add the pesto to the pasta, distributing the sauce gently by stirring with a large serving spoon.
• Serve immediately (serves 4).