Veggie Packed Peanut Butter Pasta

This pasta dish is CRAZY good. Seriously. Don't believe me? My sister and her husband along with my *adorable* niece were here a couple weekends ago from Ohio and we made this pasta dish together. While eating, the conversation went something like this:

Sister: This is soooo good. The best thing I ever ate.

Me: I know, right?

Brother-in-law to my sister: Steph sent you this recipe, right?

Sister: Yeah I should have it in my email.

Brother-in-law: Ok, good. Just wanted to make sure.

Then, silence. While eating. And eating. And eating. The only one who wasn't silent was my niece but that's because she's a baby and was hungry. Can't blame her really. She is only just starting to eat real food and doesn't understand the concept "CRAZY good" yet. All she knew was that she was hungry so she's exempt from the silence while eating I speak of.

Needless to say, my sister and her husband ate the leftovers the next day before they went home. They also made it about 2 days later. Actually, every time we've talked since then my sister says they are eating it for dinner. I'm starting to wonder if this is all they eat.

Well to add to the fun, my sister and brother-in-law apparently told my parents about this pasta gold and my parents ended up coming a couple weekends later. I'm pretty sure they came for the pasta. Forget their daughter. Forget their son-in-law. Forget their cute grandkitties. They came for this pasta. What is this world coming to?? Delicious pasta...that's what it's coming to. I'm okay with that honestly.

Why is it so delicious? It's probably the homemade pasta. Or maybe the abundance of colorful and delicious vegetables. Or maybe the creamy, salty, sweet, tangy sauce that goes on top. You'll have to decide why you love it so much. All I know is this recipe is worth the time. Now go make it. Thanks. Actually, you should be thanking me for giving you the recipe. It's that good.

VEGGIE PACKED PEANUT BUTTER PASTA
recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven
prep time: 20 minutes; cook time: 10 minutes
serves: 4-6 people

INGREDIENTS
Pasta and veggie ingredients:

• 1/2 of fresh homemade pasta recipe (or 1 pound of dried pasta)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced into thin sticks
• 2 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 bag frozen shelled edamame (10 ounce bag)

Peanut butter sauce ingredients:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sriracha, or to taste
• 1/4 cup pasta water, as needed

DIRECTIONS

Pasta and veggies:

1. Prepare pasta by cooking al dente. Save 1/4 cup of the pasta water to help thin the peanut butter sauce.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a large saute pan, then add the bell peppers and carrots. Saute for 2-3 minutes
3. Add the red cabbage and edamame. Saute for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until edamame is heated through.
4. Toss the peanut butter sauce, sauteed veggies, and pasta together in a large saute pan or pot. Add the pasta water, as needed, to thin the pasta to desired consistency.

Peanut butter sauce:

1. Whisk all the ingredients (except the pasta water) together in a bowl. This can also be done in food processor, though I like the crunch of the crunchy peanut butter we used.

NOTES

You can add peanuts, sesame seeds, or scallions to garnish if you would like, though I did not. I enjoy using crunchy peanut butter because it adds a crunch to the pasta along with the vegetables. I honestly have never made this recipe with dried pasta. This may be because I have not eaten dried pasta since I got my pasta maker. We're officially pasta snobs I suppose. If you can make the pasta from scratch, go for it! Otherwise, my sister informs me that it is also delicious with dried pasta.