Best Winter Pesto Recipes

QUINOA WITH ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLES AND PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil one or two sheet pans or baking dishes large enough to fit all of the vegetables in a single layer. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the vegetables in an even layer on the prepared pan. Place in the top third of the oven and bake 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees and continue to bake until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, 10 to 20 minutes.
• While the vegetables are in the oven, cook the quinoa. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Bring 3 cups water or stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt to taste (1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon) and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and translucent, and each grain displays a little thread. Drain through a strainer and return the quinoa to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dish towel, replace the lid and allow the quinoa to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes or longer.
• When the vegetables are tender, remove from the heat and transfer back to the bowl. Add the pesto or pistou and stir together. Serve over quinoa.

WINTER VEGETABLE AND BEAN SOUP WITH PESTO

Steps:

• For pesto:
• Puree all ingredients in processor. Season with salt and pepper. (Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For soup:
• Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy large pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil. Stir in orzo; boil uncovered until orzo is almost tender, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Add green beans; reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in cannellini and crushed pepper; simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide pesto among 4 bowls. Ladle soup over pesto; swirl to blend. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese.

WINTER MINESTRONE WITH PESTO CROûTES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and lardons or bacon and fry for about 5 mins until the onion is starting to brown. Tip in the carrots, celery, potato and garlic, stir well and cook for a few minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, stock and sage, and bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce heat to simmer and cook partly covered for 30 mins, stirring in the cabbage after 15 mins. Drain and rinse the beans and add to the pan with the parsley. Season and serve with pesto croûtes, see right, or crusty bread.
• For the pesto croûtes: Cut 3-4 slices of crusty bread into chunks, about 2cm thick. Tip into an ovenproof pan. Mix the olive oil and pesto, then add to the bread, tossing it with your hands until the croûtes are evenly coated. Bake in a moderate oven for about 10 mins until crisp.

RED WINTER MINESTRONE WITH WINTER GREENS PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water. Strip beet greens, turnip greens, and kale from their coarse stems and wash leaves well. Working in batches, cook each bunch in boiling water until bright green and slightly limp, about 1 minute. Transfer immediately to ice water and repeat with remaining greens. Discard cooking water.
• Remove greens from ice water and squeeze out as much water as possible.
• Combine greens, 2/3 cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in blender or food processor; blend until smooth. Transfer pesto to a bowl and cover surface with plastic wrap.
• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, grated tomato, 4 cloves minced garlic, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, bay leaf, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes; reduce heat to low. Continue cooking and stirring until vegetables are a deep golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Pour remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over onion mixture. Stir in leek, carrot, turnips, and beets. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
• Pour white wine over vegetable mixture and scrape browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Mix cannellini beans and green beans into vegetable mixture; pour in 5 cups water. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until green beans are tender, about 5 minutes more. Stir in parsley and lemon juice.
• Divide soup among heated bowls and serve with a generous dollop of the winter greens pesto.

DR. WEIL’S ROASTED WINTER SQUASH AND APPLE SOUP WITH WALNUT CILANTRO PESTO

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large roasting pan, toss the squash, onions, garlic and apples with the oil to coat. Season well with the salt and chile. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until the vegetables are fork tender and lightly browned, about 40 minutes. 2. Put half of the vegetables and 2 cups of the broth in a food processor and purée until smooth. Repeat with the remaining vegetables and broth. Return puréed mixture to the pot. If the soup is too thick, add more broth. Correct the seasoning and heat to a simmer. 3. Serve in warm bowls with dollops of cilantro-walnut pesto. PESTO 1. Put the walnuts in a food processor and grind them fine. 2. Add the cilantro, jalapeño pepper, salt, vinegar and 2 to 3 tablespoons of water and blend. Blend in a little more water if necessary to make a thick sauce. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding more salt if necessary.

WINTER VEGETABLE AND BEAN SOUP WITH PESTO

Steps:

• For pesto:.
• Puree all ingredients in processor. Season with salt and pepper. (Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• For soup:.
• Combine first 4 ingredients in heavy large pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until vegetables are almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add broth; bring to boil. Stir in orzo; boil uncovered until orzo is almost tender, stirring often, about 12 minutes. Add green beans; reduce heat and simmer until beans are tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in cannellini and crushed pepper; simmer until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide pesto among 4 bowls. Ladle soup over pesto; swirl to blend. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cheese.

WINTER PESTO

Steps:

• Mince and mash the garlic to a paste with salt.
• In a processor or blender, puree spinach with parsley, oil, walnuts, Parmesan, fennel and garlic paste.
• The pesto keeps, covered with a thin film of olive oil and chilled, up to 2 weeks.
• This makes enough to use with up to 2 ½ lbs of pasta.

LINGUINE WITH WINTER PESTO

Steps:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in processor and blend to coarse puree. Blend in cheese using on/off turns. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Transfer pesto to jar. Pour enough additional oil over pesto to cover completely. Cover and refrigerate. Pour off extra oil before using.)
• Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain well. Return to same pot. Add pesto sauce and toss to coat pasta evenly. Transfer to large platter. Garnish with chopped pine nuts.

ROASTED VEGETABLE FAGIOLI SOUP WITH WINTER PESTO

Steps:

• Combine the onion, garlic and olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-low heat and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the beans and vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, combine all the pesto ingredients in a blender or use a mortar and pestle to make a paste and set aside.
• When the beans are tender, add the carrots, celery root and turnips and continue simmering until barely tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the fusilli and simmer until pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the vinegar and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Ladle into four large bowls.
• Swirl a spoonful of winter pesto into each bowl, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

FARFALLE PASTA WITH WINTER PESTO

Steps:

• Prepare pasta according to package instructions, reserving 1/4 cup liquid. Rinse and dry the greens well. Remove any thick stems and coarsely chop. Pulse garlic in food processor until chopped. Add nuts, salt, pepper, and one-third of greens. Pulse, adding remaining greens in batches until finely chopped. With motor running, slowly add oil. Toss pasta with cheese and pesto, thinning with reserved liquid as needed.

WINTER PASTA (KALE PESTO)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the boiling water generously, and add the garlic and shallots. Boil for 2-3 minutes, stir in the kale and cook for another ten seconds. Don't overcook. Working quickly, use a slotted spoon or strainer to fish the greens, garlic, and shallots from the water. Use a food processor to puree the ingredients along with the olive oil and goat cheese. Add a couple tablespoons of hot pasta water if needed to thin things out if needed. Then season with a touch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Taste. Depending on your goat cheese, you might need a little extra acidic oomph if your sauce is a bit flat. If so, add fresh lemon juice a bit at a time until you're happy with it the sauce. Set aside. Reheat the pot of water and boil the pasta per package instructions. Drain and toss immediately with the green sauce. Serve topped with a few pinches of fresh thyme, and more crumbled goat cheese.

QUINOA WITH ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLES AND PESTO

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil one or two sheet pans or baking dishes large enough to fit all of the vegetables in a single layer. Place the vegetables in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the vegetables in an even layer on the prepared pan. Place in the top third of the oven and bake 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees and continue to bake until the vegetables are lightly browned and tender all the way through when pierced with a knife, 10 to 20 minutes. 2. While the vegetables are in the oven, cook the quinoa. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Bring 3 cups water or stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt to taste (1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon) and the quinoa. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and translucent, and each grain displays a little thread. Drain through a strainer and return the quinoa to the pan. Cover the pan with a clean dish towel, replace the lid and allow the quinoa to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes or longer. 3. When the vegetables are tender, remove from the heat and transfer back to the bowl. Add the pesto or pistou and stir together. Serve over quinoa.