Pesto pasta
Jump to recipeThis pesto pasta is ready in 20 minutes and has about 35 g of protein per serving. The basil, pine nuts and olive oil are blitzed while the pasta cooks, and everything gets tossed together in one pan.
Freshly made pesto is more fragrant than the jarred kind and takes only a few minutes more. A little of the pasta cooking water makes the sauce velvety, so it clings to the pasta.
MEALUP Hard Italian Cheese goes into the finished pesto before you add the pasta. Stir it in with the lemon and it gives the sauce the hard cheese flavor that pesto wants anyway.
The recipe
Ingredients
Serves 2
Preparation
- Cook the pastaCook the pasta in salted water according to the package directions, until al dente. Before draining, save half a cup of the cooking water.
- Toast the pine nutsWhile the pasta cooks, toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant. Take them off the heat right away so they don't burn.
- Make the pestoPut the basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil in a blender or mini chopper. Blend to a smooth paste, adding a little of the pasta water if it's too thick.
- Stir in MEALUPScrape the pesto into a bowl and add 2 servings (60 g) of MEALUP Hard Italian Cheese and the lemon juice. Stir well into a smooth sauce.
- Bring it togetherDrain the pasta and tip it straight into the pesto sauce. Toss, adding a little pasta water, until the sauce coats the pasta evenly.
- Season and serveTaste and add salt and black pepper as needed. Serve right away, while hot.
Tips
- For a cheaper version, swap the pine nuts for walnuts or almonds.
- The pesto (without the pasta) keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days in a closed jar.
- For a creamier texture, add a spoonful of the pasta cooking water, a little at a time.
- Chop any leftover basil and freeze it with a little olive oil in an ice cube tray.
MEALUP Hard Italian Cheese is stirred straight into the freshly made pesto once the sauce is ready. It adds protein without muting the basil.
Protein calculated from USDA FoodData Central and the MEALUP label (21 g in 1 serving).
