Mmmm, pesto pasta...

I may be setting a weekend blog post record (for me), but it's raining out and I've been relaxing inside all day cooking, cleaning and making candles, and I made a quick and easy pasta creation today that I wanted to share. I would have had a new recipe for you sooner, but the asian noodle salad I attempted to create last week did not turn out as desired. I over cooked the noodles and under cooked the tofu. But, today I redeemed myself.

Pesto Pasta with Green Beans and Cherry Tomatoes:

1 1/2 cups fresh green beans
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2/3 pkg Barilla Plus spaghetti - 14.5 oz pkg
1 - 8 oz jar basil pesto
lemon juice

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box.

Meanwhile, trim the ends off the green beans and cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the green beans in a zip lock bag with a few drops of water and a few drops of lemon juice. "Zip" the bag shut and place standing up in the microwave. Microwave on high one minute 10 seconds. Remove from microwave immediately and "unzip" bag to allow steam to escape.
Place the green beans in a skillet pan with 2 Tbsp olive oil and 3 Tbsp pesto sauce. Heat over low heat stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add halved cherry tomatoes and heat 1 additional minutes, stirring at least twice to make sure the tomato skins don't brown.

When the pasta is done cooking, toss with the remaining pesto sauce then add the sauteed vegetables and serve.

I'm excited to have three servings leftover for lunchtime snacks at work. I think it is going to be just as tasty cold as it was hot!