Thursday, October 4, 2007

Pasta with Basil Pesto


This is a recipe for a great pasta dish that can be prepred in less than 15 minutes. All it involves is making some pasta and mixing it with some pesto. Pesto is a traditional Italian sauce made of puréed basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.
This is how I made my dish.


Ingredients:
3 cups cooked
Pipette pasta (I don’t know how much I started out with)
1 cup pasta water (water in which the pasta has been cooked)

For the pesto:
10-15 basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup walnuts
2 tsp Parmesan cheese, grated
3-4 pieces of
sun-dried tomatoes
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions or until al dente.(8-12 minutes in this case) Drain well & return to the pot.

While the pasta’s cooking, grind together the ingredients for the pesto to form a paste. I used my food processor. You could use a mortar and pestle instead.

Mix together the pasta and the pesto.

Add some of the pasta water to this. This adds some body to the pesto and also helps to create a sauce that binds the pesto to the pasta.

Serve hot.

Pesto can be used in so many different ways and can dress up a recipe in no time. I like to use it as a spread on toasted bread and in sandwiches with a bit of mayonnaise. Sometimes, I add a little vinegar to it and use it in my salads. It makes a great dressing. It also goes well with mashed or baked potatoes.
Try it out …I’m sure you will not be disappointed.



This is my contribution to Presto Pasta Nights, a weekly event hosted by Ruth.

32 Burps:

KayKat said...

*drool*! Sun-dried tomato pesto! Got to love that :)

DK said...

yummmmmmmmmmmy!

musical said...

Gorgeous pasta!

Richa said...

lovely entry! it does taste so good on toast :)

Roopa said...

wow the plate looks so inviting :) i am just drooling at the picture

Rajitha said...

i like that you combined traditional basil pesto and added elements of sun-dried tom to it...looks great as usual!

Anonymous said...

Perfecto !!

- Grihini

Unknown said...

Love Pasta in any form and the pic is making me drooll!!!

Bindiya said...

pasta is lovable in all forms,but basil and sun-dried tomatoes are hard to come by here in Delhi,maybe if I can get some, would like to try this as a spread too and in b/w your baklava is still spinning drooly circles in my head!

Finla said...

I love your pesto dish with sundried tomato.
It really looks delicious.

Laavanya said...

Great idea of adding Sun-dried tomatoes to the usual basil pesto.. I will definitely try that next time since i love them.

Swaruchy said...

wow tbc....thanks for the great pasta recipe...Looks delicious dear.....
btw,I tried ur pineapple pudding...thanks a ton for the recipe dear........We both loved it very much :-)

Ruth Daniels said...

A great extra ingredient to what is already my favorite dish - pesto! Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.

Rohini's kitchen said...

awesome! Looks soo great!

Namratha said...

I'm up for Pasta anytime!! Looks yummy..and Basil pesto..delicious!

Kribha said...

I got a new basil plant from trader joes yesterday. Going to try this recipe with penne pasta. Lovely presentation. Can I use any other nuts for this other than walnuts. I do not have any right now.

Tee said...

looks yummy! Will try this out for sure :)

Padma said...

TBC loved ur basil pesto recipe, I too made pesto pasta, will blog sometime next week for that event...
Those pipette pasta looks adorable!

Pooja V said...

pasta , pesto, sun dried tomatoes, basil....definietly a must EAT...yummy !

Cris said...

Wow! Love sun-dried tomatoes, even make my own, and this pesto looks terrific!!!

Sharmi said...

never seen such a glamorous pasta! looks wonderful!

Rajesh &Shankari said...

Love all food that has basil in it..at one point in time, my friend and I would make basil pesto so much, that our spouses..said no more basil..so now it is invited into our home with moderation :)

Sreelu said...

Hey TBC we just made the same thing. Will try adding some nuts to the pesto next time. Pasta looks delish !!

Susan said...

Pesto is one of those classic sauces that is so adaptable depending on the ingredients at hand. Sun-dried tomatoes are a nice addition. Love the shapey pasta, too. It's so much more visually appealing than spaghetti, but I draw the line at wagon wheels. : )

Cynthia said...

I have my fork ready but the screen is not responding, it is still solid (lol)

Seena said...

Excellent, TBC...want to taste some..

TBC said...

Kaykat, Dhivya, Musical, Richa, Roopa, Rajitha, Grihini, Cinnamon- thanks girls...keepsaying suc nice things, I like it;-)


Bindiya, do let me know if you are able to try it out. You're still thinking about my baklavas?...awww.. but it WAS good while it lasted:-)

Happy Cook- thanks:)


Laavanya, tell me how yoyu like it. You could add some tomato paste instead of SD tomatoes. I had tried that too & liked it. Every time I make it, I try to do it a little differently:)


Sirisha, thanks dear. You made my day:-)



Ruth, thank YOU! I hope to contribute to PPN again:)


Rohini & Namratha-thank you:)



Kribha- do let me know.
Qn answered on your blog;-)



Tee-please let me know how u like it.


Padma-I am waiting to see your recipe:-)


Pooja- yeah:)I love it with toast.


Cris-thanks.:)
I think I saw that post where you make your own. I will check again.


Sharmi-wow!that IS a real compliment, now:-)


Shankari- lol:-)
Actually, I have started experimenting with other cuisines only recently. I am liking Italian a lot & cooking with fresh herbs does make a lot of difference, right?


Sreelu, I know!
I liked your presentation a lot:-)



Susan, very true! I had been missing out on a lot of flavor & texture by not using sun-dried tomatoes earlier. I was introduced to these only recently & now, there's no looking back:-)
I too like the cute-looking pasta- it does have more visual appeal than most other varieties & we all
"eat through" our eyes first, don't we?


Cynthia, damn the screen! I feel the same way when you dish out those fab recipes. Sometimes it's just pure torture going thro' your posts. Your pics are so appealing & your food comes to life!


Seena, thanks:-)But we polished it off;-)

zlamushka said...

That s a beautiful pic. Pesto pasta sounds always good. I like mine with sun-dried tomato one... Aahh Wait yours has some,too... Good job then ;-)

TBC said...

Thnaks, Zlamushka:-)
Glad you like it.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

Nice picture and I like the recipe. Thanks for sharing!

TBC said...

Thank you, Helene.and you are very welcome. :-)

SeeC said...

Looks absolutely gorgeous TBC.
Once I tried a store bought - instant one and did not like it. May be I should try pasta this way :)

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