Farfelle Pesto with vegetables

A few weeks ago a friend of mine made this delicious meal for her and her family. She had posted a picture on her Facebook and I have been looking at that picture ever since!

That may sound weird but I was trying to think of a way to make this dish so that my husband, the non tomato eating guy, would eat this.

I played around with different ideas and thought up all different possibilities. Really the options are limitless but still changing a recipe before even trying it is difficult, to me!

I did add tomatoes just not as many. The original recipe called for chicken but we ate this Monday so I made mine MEATLESS! but chicken would be good in here!

The Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• Cooking spray
• 20 ounces uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta)
• 1 tablespoon RAW butter
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups 2% low-fat milk, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup pesto (you could be brave and use arugula pesto or you can use regular Fresh Basil)
• 3 bell peppers, chopped (I used tri-color, yellow and red)
• 3 small tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

The Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Place pasta in large bowl.

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Combine 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in pesto. Gradually add remaining 1 cup milk and half-and-half, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 8 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Add 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 1 cup cheese; stir until cheese melts.

Add sauce to pasta, tossing well to coat. Add tomatoes, vegetables and basil; toss gently.