Three Favorites with Homemade Pesto
Grocery list included at end of recipes
Homemade Pesto
Ingredients:
- 2 cups packed basil leaves
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic (toasted if desired)
- ¼ cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds (browned if desired)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions:
1. Place garlic and nuts in a food processor; pulse until coarsely ground.
2. Add basil and cheese then pulse a couple more times.
3. Close food processor top and start adding olive oil through the top and turn the processor on low.
4. You may need to stop and scrape down the sides a couple of times before the pesto is the consistency that you want.
5. Enjoy on poultry or fish or in pasta!
Pesto Pasta
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 16 oz dry linguini, cooked
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) low-sodium canned diced tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup pesto sauce (or more to taste)
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions:
1. Cook linguini pasta according to directions.
2. When pasta is done cooking, drain and return to hot pot.
3. Add the pesto, tomatoes, garlic, and parmesan cheese and mix everything together.
4. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve with steamed broccoli for a complete vegetarian meal.
Simple Tomato Sauce with Gnocchi
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 16 oz store-bought gnocchi
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 (15.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- dash crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- 6 basil leaves, finely shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in diced tomatoes and red pepper flakes; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in shredded basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. While the sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the gnocchi according to directions, then drain.
3. Place gnocchi into a serving bowl, and spoon sauce on top.
One Dish Salmon
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 4 small salmon fillets
- 1 lb fresh green beans, rinsed and trimmed
- ½ pint grape tomatoes, rinsed
- Lemon pepper seasoning (a few sprinkles)
- ¼ cup of pesto
- Butter
- Salt
- Olive oil
Instructions:
1. Place salmon in a prepared 9×13 baking dish.
2. Sprinkle with lemon pepper and salt
3. Place a dollop of pesto on each salmon fillet and a dab of butter.
4. Toss green beans with 1 tbs of pesto and place on one side of salmon.
5. Toss grape tomatoes with 1 tbs of pesto and place on the other side of salmon.
6. Drizzle olive oil over vegetables.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Groceries
RECIPES IN THIS LIST (BASIL)
- Homemade Pesto
- Simple tomato sauce with Gnocchi
- One Dish Salmon
- Pesto Pasta
Meats
4 small salmon fillets
Pasta
16 oz dry linguini
Store-bought gnocchi
Condiments and canned goods
2 (15.5 ounces) cans of low-sodium diced tomatoes
Baking, spices, oils
1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds
Dairy
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
2 tsp butter
Shredded parmesan cheese
Produce
2 Cups Fresh Basil + 10 Basil leaves
1 lb Fresh Green Beans
1 pint Grape Tomatoes
Pantry Items
Salt
Pepper
9 cloves garlic
2 tsp Lemon Pepper (more or less depending on taste)
Olive Oil
1 dash crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Casey Berschback
Engineer/wife/mom/lover of life and family. She enjoys the balance of part-time work as an engineer with days at home with her three kids. She has great appreciation for the immense parent network available for information and support as we rear our children to be well-rounded individuals.