Hi friends! I am taking the day to spend some time with my mom so I am just here to share a quick recipe with you.
Last week I highlighted a meal Scott prepared for us and a few friends the day before Christmas Eve. It was delicious, and when I heated up the leftovers the next day I knew I needed to get you all on the pesto train… or at least try to!
Pesto has a light taste that is somehow still packed with flavor, and is a lot easier to make than you might think. When I asked Scott how to make this pesto sauce “our own,” he said you can’t. Pesto is pesto. We added a few spices here and there, but for the most part it is going to look similar for most sauce recipes.
We used this one from the Food Network as our inspiration, almost to the tee.
Our favorite kind of pasta is angel hair, however, we had been waiting to use our box of Pozza’s Pasta handmade Italian spaghetti for something special. These noodles were a gift from Scott’s parents when they were here visiting and are from his hometown area in Tontitown, Arkansas. While this exact brand can only be found at select grocers, any type of angel hair, spaghetti, penne, or linguine would be great.
Also, you can mix it up and get creative with spinach, vegetable (tomato), or whole wheat pasta noodles if you are so inclined.
Really, anything can go green!
Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
fresh basil leaves (about 2 bunches)
2 Tbsp. pine nuts (untoasted)
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesean
1 dash Italian seasoning
1 pound pasta of choice
***
cook time: 15 minutes
servings: 4 (as an entree) – 6 (as a side)
***
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to boil for the noodles. Add salt to the water, if desired.
2. Combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil in a blender to make a puree.
3. Add the cheese, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, then blend again.
4. Cook the pasta according to directions on box. Drain and transfer into a large serving bowl. Combine pesto with pasta and toss.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesean.
The recipe comments also suggested adding lemon juice to the sauce, which we plan to try next time. I’m so glad Scott reminded me how great this sauce is!
Enjoy!
Questions of the Day
• Are you a pesto fan? Have you ever used it on pizza?
That’s my next experiment. I have always appreciated pesto sauce, but never think to make it at home. I love how flavorful, but light it is at the same time. I plan to cook with it a lot more in the future!

I loooooove pesto! It’s amazing on pizza… My dad grew his own basil and whenever it would get out of control, he’d make a huge batch of pesto to stash in the freezer. Yum!!!!
Oh my gosh on pizza it is so good! Especially when there is chicken and cheese involved!
Pesto makes a nice change from a tomato sauce. I also love using it as a sandwich spread and it tastes great on pizza! Will definitely be trying this recipe 🙂
That sounds (and looks) yum!
Love pesto… sans cheese!
This looks great, we love pesto! Totally going to have to try this meal one night 🙂
Love how easy and light this recipe looks!
I was simply searching for an easy pesto recipe and came across this. I was shocked to read your husband is from Tontitown as that is where I currently live. Small world!!