Pesto Pasta Person! (Recipe Included!)

Making something from fresh ingredients is always a source of motivation for me. I especially enjoy making dishes that start off in my own little kitchen garden. In fact, that's how this recipe came to be.

A couple of months ago, I bought a few herbs and planted them in a trough at the side of my kitchen. I picked up a few random herbs, simply for the love of gardening, including, basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, mint, fennel and dill. 

After a few weeks of careful weeding and watering, my basil plant was the first to tower over all the others, which got me to googling recipes using fresh basil, as I had more than I needed. I really wanted to make sure that my precious basil plant was not grown in vain!

*Google search: What simple recipe can I make with a lot of basil?"*

Voila! BASIL PESTO!

Pesto would be the solution to not wasting any basil, and most of the other ingredients are usually always around my house, so it would be the perfect sauce to try out. My love of pesto itself however, is another story, for another post. Below, I've included the recipe for a simple pesto that's easy to throw together in a food processor, or even a nutri bullet if you have one! I personally prefer a food processor, as the wider opening allows me to put a lot in at once, and I tend to make larger batches for storing them up.

Usually, after making a fresh batch of pesto, I'll often whip up some simple fettuccine pasta, with an alfredo sauce... then add in a few dollops of pesto to take things up a notch, giving me the perfect combination of creamy and nutty. I suggest you give it a try!

If you'd like the recipe for my pesto-alfredo (I'll include a shot below for you), just let me know in the comments!

Basil Pesto

Yield: 1 cup (I've made it simple for you to double up, or triple up as needed)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts if you can't find pine nuts)
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese (Parmesan also works, or you can mix them to taste)
• 1/4 cup fresh baby spinach leaves (optional)

Instructions:

• Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
• If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.
• If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle remaining oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese.

Basil Pesto Fettucine Alfredo (Let me know if you'd like the recipe!)