Creamy Walnut Tomato Pesto Pasta
This recipe shares a twist on the average pesto. With walnuts replacing the usual pine nut, as well as spinach blended in for extra greens, this pesto will delight your taste buds. This meal comprises only a handful of ingredients so it’s simple to make and the product is a rich, creamy, beautiful pesto sauce to mix in with your favorite pasta.
Creamy Walnut Tomato Pesto Pasta
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
3 cups choice of pasta (I used rotini)
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1 cup basil leaves
1 cup spinach leaves
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups grape tomatoes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
First, boil and drain the pasta and set aside. Rotini works great because the swirls hold on the pesto sauce really well. Other alternatives could be spaghetti, penne, or any other pasta of choice. *Save 1/4 cup of pasta water to use later.
To make the pesto, first blend walnuts, lemon juice, and garlic cloves in a food processor.
Blend on high until fine. Add basil leaves, half of the spinach leaves, salt, and pepper to food processor.
Blend again and add the olive oil while the processor is still on. For a smoother and creamier pesto sauce, add more olive oil as desired. Set pesto aside.
In a glass or oven safe dish, mix grape tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes and set aside.
Add the pesto to a large skillet on low heat. Add the saved pasta water and blend together in skillet. This helps make a creamier pesto sauce while thinning it out to just the right consistency.
Add the cooked pasta and mix well, until pasta is well covered in prepared pesto sauce.
Add the roasted tomatoes to the pasta and mix.
Lastly, add rest of the spinach leaves. Mix until lightly wilted. Serve!
Recipe developed by Hannah Hobson, dietetic intern in the Individualized Self Study Program at
California State University, San Bernardino.