(Pesto Pasta)

Text Pesto Pasta

Mmmmm pesto.

I have watched enough food network shows to know that pesto should be hand made and not store bought. For Memorial Day dinner I decided to whip out my handy food processor and make pesto, from scratch, for the first time. Pesto is definitely something you can make in advance and refrigerate, it is so convenient. Now that I am a “pro” at making it, I plan to create a batch to have on hand for fish, sandwiches and many other pasta dishes.

Well enough of my yapping, pictures and instructions below.

Singing “this is how you do iiiiit” ~Montell Jordan

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup fresh basil leaves

2 cloves peeled garlic

3 tablespoon pine nuts

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper

8-12 oz pasta of choice

Optional:

1/4 cup milk or heavy cream, or in my case rice milk

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup grate Parmesan cheese

1. Bring to a boil 3-4 quarts of water, depending on how much pasta you plan to cook.

2. To the food processor, add Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic cloves, pine nuts, salt & pepper. Add the lid, then pulse while slowly drizzling in the olive oil, continue until the pesto is finely chopped.

3. To the boiling water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and pasta. Cook as instructed on the package, then drain.

4. Optional: to create more of a creamy pesto sauce, add the butter & milk/cream/rice milk to a saucepan on medium heat. Pour in the pesto and stir to combine for about 2 minutes, add 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese & remove from the heat, and stir until the cheese is melted.

5. Add the drained pasta to the pesto sauce and stir until the pasta is evenly coated. Plate and serve.

*I couldn’t find my 3/4 measuring cup, so I used the 1/4 cup, 3 times #foodbloggerproblems

Also add salt & pepper…

Nom, nom, nom, nom -_-

~bon apPATeat