Pesto Pasta

I usually make simple aglio olio pasta at home. I recently saw this pasta recipe using pesto sauce in a cooking show and wanted to give it a try. I was searching for basil leaves but it was always out of stock. Finally yesterday bought a pack of basil leaves and I made this creamy pesto pasta for dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Pasta- 1 cup (I used penne).

2. Onion- 1 small.

3. Garlic- 1 cup.

4. Basil leaves- 1 pack.

5. Walnuts- 1/2 cup.

6. Olive oil- 1/2 cup.

7. Cherry tomatoes-7-8

8. Lemon juice- 1 tsp.

9. Pepper powder- 2 tsp.

10. Salt- As needed.

11. Parmesan cheese- 1 tbls.

12. Mixed Italian herbs or Oregano- 1 tbls.

13. Fresh cream- 2 tsp (Optional)

METHOD:

1. Cook pasta in boiling water for 8-10 mins until it becomes soft. Add little salt and 1tsp olive oil while boiling. Once it gets cooked, keep it aside.

2. In a mixer, add basil leaves, 1/2 cup of garlic, parmesan cheese, walnuts, lemon juice, 2 tbls of olive oil and pepper powder. Add little water and grind it into a smooth paste. Keep this ground paste aside.

3. Chop the remaining garlic and onion finely. Heat a large pan with remaining olive oil and add the chopped garlic. fry until the garlic becomes golden brown in color. 

4. Once the garlic is roasted, add the chopped onions and saute until it turns pink. Then, add 4-5 chopped cherry tomatoes and saute for few seconds.

5. Then, add the grounded pesto paste and saute until it gets well cooked. It emits a nice aroma. Add water if it gets too thick. Add salt as needed.

6. Then add the fresh cream and the Italian herbs. Finally, add the cooked pasta and mix everything well. Let it cook for 2-3mins and switch off the flame.

 7. Garnish with Italian herbs, pepper powder and chopped cherry tomatoes.

Serve the creamy pesto pasta always hot.




 NOTES:
1. You can garnish with chopped green and black olives if you want.
2. You can use any type of pasta.
3. You can also garnish with cheese if you like.