This recipe is for a homemade pesto. I made this when I was traveling and didn’t even have a blender, so it took a good amount of work. Luckily, you can blend these ingredients and have it done in a couple seconds. This is a bright and lemon-y pesto sauce that’s perfect for spring or summer. It also keeps well in the fridge.
This recipe is easily made vegan without the addition of the cheese.
Ingredients:
Serves 6-8
Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes
- 1 lb. fusili or bowtie pasta
- 2 lbs. button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 lb. asparagus, cut in small pieces
- 2 lbs. spinach
- 3 teaspoons, garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup ricotta cheese (optional)
Parsley Pesto
- 2 large bunches parsley
- 3-5 cloves, garlic, minced
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated (optional)
- 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
1. Mix all the ingredients for pesto. Chop by hand or pulse in a blender. Set aside.
2. Boil pasta. When slightly cool, mix pesto into pasta.
3. Saute vegetables in a large frying pan with a little garlic. Start with mushrooms, then asparagus, then spinach. Do them separately. Add the veggies to the pasta.
4. Serve pasta with chicken if desired. Top with cherry tomatoes and a dollop of ricotta cheese.
