A simple and healthy pasta side to accompany any of your grilled dishes. Serve with salmon, chicken, or grilled asparagus & mushrooms, and you’re set for your next party!
Spinach-Basil Pesto (Serves 4)
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh baby spinach
- 1 garlic, sliced
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 Tablespoon cashews, walnuts, or almonds
- 12 ounces whole wheat Bowtie (Farfalle) pasta
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1. Prepare the pesto in advance if you have the chance. In a blender or with an immersion blender combine first 7 ingredients. Blend until you get a smooth sauce, store in refrigerator for later use.
This is the immersion blender I recommend…
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| Packing in the spinach and herbs |
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| Grating the cheese |
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| Pureeing the pesto |
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| Keeping in container for storage |
2. Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions. Undercook the pasta a minute or two so you can cook with sauce. Drain pasta water and reserve 1/4 cup of the water.
3. After draining the pasta, immediately add into a medium saucepan with the pesto sauce and cook 2-3 minutes, adding reserved pasta water when sauce dries out a bit.
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| Cook pasta with pesto and a little reserved pasta water to warm up sauce and keep smooth |
4. Add halved cherry tomatoes and additional cheese at the last minute of cooking if desired. Serve immediately with salmon and Simply Grilled Asparagus if you like.
I just have to ask – do you work do catering in sydney or something like that? Your creativity is just impressive.