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Fresh ingredients and pantry staples create a beautiful and nutritious dinner on the fly. This dish is equally delicious – if not more so – the next day. Recipe and photo courtesy of Betsy DiJulio, from The Blooming Platter Cookbook: A Harvest of Seasonal Vegan Recipes ^[2] (© 2011, Vegan Heritage Press) ^[3].

Serves: 4

• 8 ounces whole wheat angel hair pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 ounces stemmed chard, finely chopped
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• Optional garnish: 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Add the pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until golden. Add the bell pepper and sauté for 2 minutes or until it becomes slightly tender. Add the chard and sauté for 2 minutes, or until the chard is tender but retains its bright color.

Add the tomatoes and heat through. Add the nutritional yeast and the reserved pasta water. Stir and heat the sauce until it comes together. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the reserved pasta, basil, and lemon zest. Serve immediately garnished with pine nuts, if using.

Betsy DiJulio is a longtime vegan and food journalist. An exhibiting artist and board-certified art instructor, she enjoys food styling and photography. Betsy blogs about her vegan delights at TheBloomingPlatter.com. ^[4] 

• Here are lots more lighter seasonal vegan pasta recipes. ^[5]
• Find more recipes using bell peppers. ^[6]