Pesto pasta has become my default when I don't feel like cooking a complex meal. It's a step above pasta with sauce out of a jar? Maybe? At least I make the pesto myself, which is really arduous: put some ingredients in a food processor and press on... Whatever. It's delicious!
This pesto is a little lighter than your average pesto, with goat cheese instead of parmesan, spinach, and no nuts. I like to add some sun-dried tomatoes or artichokes (I admit that those come out of a jar) to add another layer of flavor. I hope you enjoy this simple yet satisfying dinner (makes a great leftover lunch, too!).
Creamy Goat Cheese, Basil & Spinach Pesto
yields about 1 cup pesto
Ingredients:
2 ounces goat cheese
1 1/2 cups basil leaves
1 1/2 cups spinach leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
1/4 - 1/3 cup olive oil
Directions:
Place goat cheese, basil, spinach, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Blend and slowly add olive oil until desired consistency is reached.
Smother on anything. Here I tossed the pesto with some pasta and sun-dried tomatoes.
Pesto can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. Over time the pesto will brown. It's still okay to eat, but looks rather unappetizing.
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Yum, this pasta looks so tasty! I love goat cheese, and I bet it tastes really yummy with the pesto. :)
ReplyDeleteOkay - it's official...I am in LOVE! I love pesto. I love goat cheese. I love sun dried tomatoes.....Buzzed!
ReplyDeleteWow! Adding goat cheese into the pesto itself sounds wonderful!
ReplyDeleteIf you use mason jars to store the leftover pasta, I bet it won't turn. I discovered the power of jars when I scooped some leftover guacamole (huh? oh yeah, we ran out of chips...) into a jar and stuffed it into the fridge. Three weeks later my son found the jar and we were astonished that the contents hadn't even browned one teeny bit. Now, I use jars for everything.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip, Kimberly! I stored mine in a tupperware with a little extra olive oil on the top and it stayed well, too. But I'll take this excuse to buy more mason jars :D
ReplyDeleteAlso, the leftover guacamole... you had a spoon! ;-)
You can also freeze pesto. I read in Real Simple that you can freeze pesto in an ice cube tray and then just take out however many cubes you need. I usually don't like Real Simple (my mom has a subscription), but I thought that sounded like a good idea! Haven't tried it yet...
ReplyDeleteHi Catherine, My mom freezes basil in ice cube trays, too! :)
ReplyDeleteLove the goat cheese in this! Looks so creamy and delicious!
ReplyDelete