Homemade pesto and pasta with an overly generous amount of shaved parmesan on top is one of the most reliably delicious dinners in existence. Coupled with a nice garden salad and a glass of wine, it’s undeniable. Kids devour it, too (the pesto, not the wine, duh).
There are two downsides to making pesto: pine nuts are prohibitively expensive, and making it is a slightly involved task. This recipe eliminates one of those two negatives by swapping out pine nuts for cashews and walnuts. Please note, a food processor is required.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of fresh basil (you can use less than 2 cups, but you will have less pesto)
- 1/3 cup of cashews and walnuts
- 2 cloves of garlic, each cut in half
- 3/4 cup of shaved parmesan (or, omit the cheese and this is a vegan meal)
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- Cooked pasta of your choice (use gluten-free pasta if needed)
Instructions
- Pick only the basil leaves from the stems, and wash them. No stems allowed. I recommend using a salad spinner.
- Measure out 1/3 of a cup of nuts. A good option is 70% cashews, 30% walnuts. If you have pine nuts, use 70% pine nuts and 30% walnuts.
- At this point I usually start boiling the water to make the pasta.
- Put the basil leaves and 1/3 cup of nuts in the food processor, and run it for about 20 seconds, pulsing a few times.
- Add the 2 cut-in-half cloves of garlic and 3/4 cup of shaved parmesan to the food processor with the basil and nuts, and pulse again for 20 more seconds, stopping to scrape down larger bits from the sides with a rubber spatula.
- With the food processor running, slowly pour in the 1/2 cup of olive oil. This technique is called “emulsification,” and it makes pesto creamy. Turn off the food processor when finished pouring.
- Add some salt and pepper (I recommend grinding the pepper) and run the food processor for a second or two, then taste a little smudge of pesto. If it isn’t tasty enough, add another round of salt and pepper. Keep doing this until it tastes yummy.
- When your pasta is drained and ready, put the amount for a portion or two in a large bowl. Spoon in some pesto and mix it together with a fork, until all of the pasta is covered. It’s up to you how green you want to make it.
- Put the pasta with pesto on a plate, and add more freshly shaved parmesan on top. If you’re like me, you put lots of it on there. Enjoy!