Pesto lovers rejoice! We have the yummiest, most vitamin-packed pesto pasta recipe for you to try. Sure, you could grab any ‘ole jarred pesto sauce at the grocery store, but making your own at home has a lot of benefits.
By making your own pesto, you can adjust recipes to fit your palette. Don’t like cow’s milk? Add in almond or cashew milk. Not a fan of pine nuts? Sub for cashews instead. Oh and if you’re like us and want to add more greens to your diet, tossing spinach in (like we did here) will up your vitamin intake. (#MommyHack: Try this when making pasta for your little ones who refuse to eat their veggies!)
Pair this pesto fettuccine with a glass of dry Pinot Grigio or Sauv. Blanc, and you have yourself the most satisfying meal ever!
Pesto Fettuccine
Ingredients:
8 ounces of whole wheat fettuccine noodles
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, fresh grated
3 cups fresh spinach
2 cups basil, stems removed
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup milk of choice
3/4 lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
1. Cook the fettuccine pasta according to the package instructions. Drain when finished, but leave 1/3 cup of pasta water reserved for later. Set aside.
2. In a food processor, pulse the toasted pine nuts, spinach, basil, cheese, and garlic.
3. To the processor pulse in the milk, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. Then incorporate the olive oil while blending on low. Be sure to scrape the sides of your blender to make sure everything is blended smoothly.
4. In a sauté pan on medium high heat, add a teaspoon of olive oil, peas, fettuccini pasta, and reserved water and let warm up for about 1 minute.
5. Gently fold in the pesto sauce with the pasta, until everything is well incorporated.
6. Garnish with drizzles of olive oil, lemon juice, cheese, and parsley. Serve immediately.
xx, The FabFitFun Team
