Pasta is a favorite and a staple in the Blackburn house. I find myself picking up a couple boxes of whole wheat pasta each time I'm at the store, yet I never seem to have enough! One of my favorite things about it is the endless possibilities-soups, casseroles, side dishes, classic Italian dishes...you name it, pasta can usually be a part of the recipe. Unfortunately, many times pasta dishes are heavy, lack nutrition, and can leave you with that yucky carb-hangover (ever have a big plate of fettuccini alfredo? Yeah...you know what I'm talking about)
To satisfy my pasta craving regularly and not feel guilty about it, I've opted for a healthier alternative- pesto.
Did you know that storebought pesto, such as the jar above, can be upwards of $6 and doesn't have a very long shelf life once opened? Yeah, I didn't know that either until I bought my first jar and then decided I would never be making that purchase again. So the next step was to do some research, whip out the blender, and make my own.
Everything I found on Pinterest and beyond looked like this picture...basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesean, olive oil, a little salt and pepper. Delicious, sure, but it seemed a little boring to me! Not to mention I don't exactly keep pine nuts chilling in my cabinet, and (sadly) I don't have any basil plants of my own. I improvised, and soon my blender looked like this
I replaced the pine nuts with walnuts (I had the bulk container from the baking aisle at Giant) and used a bag of fresh spinach instead of basil, and I threw in some fresh lemon juice. The remaining traditional ingredients were added, with some extra chopped garlic because, well, garlic makes everything better. 3 minutes or so in the blender and I had my own version of pesto! I filled some empty ice cube trays with my new creation and popped it in the freezer.
I found that this version is not only healthy, but extremely versatile. I've used it on chicken, fish, thrown it in a stir fry, and of course-pasta.
I loaded up this dish with broccoli, baked chicken, and my fresh pesto on top of some whole wheat linguini.
Want to discover the world of pesto and all its variations for yourself? Here's my recipe-
Ingredients:
- 1 bag of fresh spinach
- 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic, or 3 fresh garlic cloves
- 1 cup grated parmesean cheese
- 1/3 cup olive oil (plus some extra, just in case)
- Approximately 2 cups of walnuts
- Juice of one lemon
- Healthy pinches of salt and pepper
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender, blend until smooth. I found that adding some additional olive oil during the blending process will help achieve a smooth consistency!
Happy cooking, happy eating!