Any Green Pesto Pasta
What We’re Making:
A simple classic, adaptable for seasonal ingredients! I've been eating pesto pasta since before I could walk. It's one of my favorite foods and never fails to satiate me, regardless of the season. Basil, one of my favorite herbs, is only technically seasonal from June until September, and while you might be able to find it in grocery stores year-round, that doesn't mean it's necessarily fresh or a sustainable ingredient given that it's usually being shipped from warmer climates throughout the rest of the year. This recipe can be adapted to use any green that you have on hand throughout any season (think arugula, spinach, or ramps in Spring and Fall, kale, chard, or rapini in Winter, and obviously basil in Summer!). Enjoy this pesto on pasta (duh), but it also goes great on top of scrambled eggs, on a hearty sandwich, or on top of fish or chicken. Happy cooking!
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch leafy green (depending on the season, basil, arugula, ramps, spinach, kale, chard, rapini, parsley, mint – don't be afraid to mix and match for interesting textures and flavor profiles!)
- Juice from 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp roasted pine nuts (walnuts or pistachios can also work here)
- 1/3 cup parmesan, plus more for sprinkling on top (can substitute another hard, dry cheese like grana padano if you don't have parm or nutritional yeast to make it vegan)
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Steps:
Wash green of choice and dry (if you are using spinach, kale, chard, or rapini, you can blanch before adding to a food processor to preserve the bright green color from the Chlorophyll)
Add green of choice, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, pine nuts, and lemon juice to a food processor for a coarser texture or a blender for a smoother, more uniform texture
Process until mixture is uniform (adjusting amount of olive oil as needed)
Add in grated cheese and adjust the seasoning of the pesto (if leaving to sit for a while, add an additional squeeze of lemon on top of the pesto as this will keep it from going brown)
Boil water for pasta and add a couple of generous spoonfuls of salt
Prepare pasta according to package instructions
Strain pasta and reserve about a cup of pasta water (to bind the sauce with the pasta)
Mix the pesto with the pasta, adding a few splashes of pasta water
Grate cheese on top and drizzle with olive oil. Et voila – bon appetit!
