Hemp Pesto Pasta Salad

This recipe came together from an intense pasta craving and an abundance of basil in my garden. Plus, I knew this recipe would last the whole week - so I had the perfect excuse to eat pasta on the daily.

Please excuse the measurements as this was created on the fly and I could also never give someone an exact garlic measurement - garlic can only be measured from the heart!

Serves 5 

Ingredients (it's a long list - as I had a heap of veges to use up in my fridge)

• 2 cups of spelt spiral pasta (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
• 1 jar of pesto (or if you feel inspired - check out our hemp pesto recipe)
• 6 cup mushrooms - cut into 8ths
• 1 zucchini - roughly chopped
• 1/2 small head of broccoli - roughly chopped
• 4 (+) cloves of garlic- finely chopped
• 1 pack of vine-ripened cherry or snacking tomatoes (approximately 250 grams)
• 1 can of chickpeas (drained)
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives 
• 200g of feta cheese (dairy-free options available) - cut into cubes
• Rocket or Spinach - to serve with as a side
• Drizzle of hemp seed oil
• 1 tablespoon of hulled hemp seeds

Method

• Cook the pasta according to packet instructions - drain and set aside
• In the same saucepan that you cooked the pasta in (because dishes), add a little oil before adding in the mushrooms. Toss in the saucepan for a couple of minutes before adding a dash of water and popping the lid on to steam. 
• After a couple of minutes, add in the zucchini, broccoli and garlic. Allow to lightly steam
• Remove the lid and stir in the pesto and chickpeas
• Add the tomatoes and allow the mix to heat until you see the skins of the tomatoes start to burst
• Remove from heat and toss in olives, feta and pasta
  • There should be enough pesto to lightly cover everything - but if not you may want to add a little water to make it into more of a "sauce"
• Allow to cool and divide into 5 containers, add a handful of rocket to the side of each container.
• Drizzle with hemp seed oil and a sprinkle of hulled hemp seeds
• Enjoy!