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.
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