I don't know why but I didn't taste pesto until I was a mom. A mom of 3...and even then it wasn't something I chose to try. Let's just say that pesto wasn't in my household growing up either...
But anyway I absolutely freaking love it.
It's basil-y and garlic-y and so green and healthy and delicious.
I have made my own once and it was tasty too but pine nuts are crazy expensive - so I now opt for the no-name/generic store brand named stuff and am just as happy...my wallet is happier too.
My neighbour is a vegetarian and she keeps sending me snap chat pics (or is it just called "snaps"?) of her "pesto pasta" and I thought - it cannot be that hard.
So one night I felt like pasta and this is obviously a dish my kids will not eat - so I made sure to enjoy it at night while they slept. And it was glorious.
It might change your life.
It's kind of like when I discovered how easy (although time consuming!) making fresh pasta was - and I was addicted.
Well, have no fear - I used store bought whatever shape is in your cupboard pasta. So that'll save you a crap load of time.
Unlike my vegetarian buddy - I added some cooked chicken pieces, shredded prosciutto, some sliced veggies and a lot of chili flakes - and I have 0 regrets.
And you know what else is freaking awesome?! You can eat this as a main dish, a side dish, a guilty pleasure dish, hot or cold...or when you need to fend off someone with your stellar pesto-y breath...don't limit yourself. The skies are the limit.
Hence the "Flexible Dish" section of the blog I just added today.
As always - measurements are guess-timates.
What you need (portioned for 2 very hungry people):
- 3 cooked and lightly seasoned (salt and pepper with minced garlic) chicken breasts
- 4 strips of prosciutto shredded with your fingers
- 1/2 medium red onion peeled and chopped
- 5 large white mushrooms washed and sliced
- 1/2 red pepper washed, seeded and diced
- Pasta in fun shapes (I used heart-shaped ones)
- oil
- salt
- Ready-made pesto
- Cream cheese (plain)
- Milk or cream
- chili flakes
What to do:
- Boil water and add a bit of oil and a pinch of salt
- Add pasta and cook according to directions
- Drain the pasta but save a bit of the water (maybe a tablespoon's worth!) - remove from heat!
- In a separate pan or sauce pan - put some oil and fry the veggies a bit on high heat
- Add a couple heaping tablespoons of pesto into the pot with the pasta, the chicken and veggies
- Add a monster sized blob (aka a massive heaping tablespoon of cream cheese) and stir while on low heat
- Or just shut off the heat - your burner will be warm enough to keep cooking the "sauce" part of this recipe. Just make sure you're constantly stirring and keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn!
- Add a bit of milk (or cream) to your pasta pot, stirring regularly so the cheese melts and the pesto is well blended in too
- Stir in shredded prosciutto and chili flakes according to taste and serve hot!or
- Let it cool and chill it in the fridge and serve it as a cold pasta salad
I had some that night and the next day straight out of the fridge and it was delicious both ways!
I genuinely love my neighbour and hate her at the same time (lovingly) for introducing me to such a SIMPLE meal that I made a bit extra with protein and veggies.
Confession time...I had some pesto pasta tonight - without the protein or veggies - because I walked 15km today and was feeling a bit lazy...
Isn't that awesome though? Not the 15 km part but how freaking flexible this meal is.
And it's fairly CHEAP! You can of course adjust what veggies you want in there - the veggies I listed were merely suggestions as they were what I had on hand.
Enjoy this dish in your nicest pair of yoga pants/sweats and please don't hate me for loving this dish...
Blame my neighbour.
XO,
Dominique
