Bow tie pasta with pesto, peppers and Parmesan

Christmas would not be Christmas without some form of pasta for dinner. My mother used to make homemade ravioli, but alas, I am not that ambitious! I needed a vegetarian option for a Christmas Eve dinner and this fit the bill. I found a few bags of tricolor bow tie pasta at Home Goods, but you can use any tricolor pasta like rotini or spiral noodles.The addition of red and yellow peppers made it a bit more festive and also adds some color, vitamin C, and texture to the dish. Shrimp or cooked chicken could be added if you like or you can leave out the cream and cheese and make the dish vegan. There's lots of options here!Bottom line- everyone loved it and it was so simple!Ingredients:1 (16 oz. bag) tricolor bow tie pasta1 yellow bell pepper, chopped1 red bell pepper, chopped2 cloves garlic, minced1/4 cup olive oil + 2 Tbsp. (divided)1 small jar prepared pesto1/4 cup heavy cream1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheeseSalt/pepper to tasteDirections:

1. Boil the pasta for 9-10 minutes in a large pot. Drain and set aside.
2. Sautee the peppers in 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Once soft, add garlic and sautee another 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the cooked peppers and garlic to the pasta.
4. In a medium sauce pan, combine 1 jar pesto with remaining olive oil and heavy cream. Stir and simmer on low heat for ~5 minutes.
5. Pour pesto over pasta and toss.
6. Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese.
7. Salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 8 (1/2 cup) servings.