Best Pasta Al Pesto Recipes

JUICY PESTO PASTA!

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the salt.
• Add pasta and cook for the length of time per the packet.
• Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of of the pasta cooking water.
• Drain pasta in a colander, leave it for a minute.
• Transfer pasta to a bowl (do not use pasta cooking pot, too hot).
• Add pesto and 1/4 cup of pasta water. Toss to coat pasta in pesto, adding more water if required to make pasta silky and saucy, rather than dry and sticky.
• Taste, add more salt and pepper if desired.
• Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parmesan.

PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until done. Drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. Add pesto, onion, and salt and pepper. Cook about five minutes, or until onions are soft.
• In a large bowl, mix pesto mixture into pasta. Stir in grated cheese. Serve.

PASTA PESTO

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling water until al dente. Just before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the water.
• In a medium saute pan over medium high heat, toast the pine nuts until fragrant and golden, about 2 to 3 minutes, set aside. Place pan back on the heat over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes. If the sauce is too dry, add the remaining pasta water. Add the basil to the pan. Saute until just wilted. Remove the sauce from the heat.
• Place the pasta in a large bowl. Season the pasta with salt. Top the pasta with the tomato sauce. Sprinkle the toasted pine nuts over the pasta and cheese (if using). Toss to combine, taste and adjust seasonings, serve immediately.

PASTA AL PESTO

Steps:

• PESTO:
• Place ingredients in bowl of food processor.
• Process until smooth, using rubber scraper to push down the sides occasionally.
• Variations: - add 3/4 c freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
• PASTA:
• Boil a large pot of water; cook pasta until al dente.
• While pasta is cooking, prepare pesto; set aside, covered.
• Steam carrots.
• Meanwhile, in skillet, heat oil.
• Add zucchini and peapods.
• Stir continuously until crisp/tender.
• When pasta is done, drain well; toss pesto with noodles until they are well coated.
• Then toss in vegetables.
• Garnish with pepper and cheese.
• VARIATIONS: - add 1/2 c Parmesan cheese to Pesto

PASTA WITH PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to a boil. Drop the garlic cloves into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds to temper their sharpness. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cloves to a food processor or blender.
• Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente.
• While the pasta cooks, add the pumpkin seeds and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the garlic, and process until very finely ground. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the basil. Scoop 1/4 cup water from the saucepan with the boiling pasta and pour over the basil. Process the basil until ground to a paste. Add the Parmesan and oil, and pulse just until incorporated. Taste the pesto and season with enough salt and pepper to make it punchy.
• Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water until room temperature. Shake dry, then return to the saucepan, and add the pesto and tomatoes, if using. Stir well until everything is evenly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among dishes to serve right away or airtight containers to pack for lunch. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and Parmesan, and serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.