A few months ago I discovered pesto. Yes, I had heard of pesto before, but I had never eaten it. Now, I love pesto and have a stock pile of pesto in my freezer ready for weeknight meal prep.
How did I discover pesto? Last summer I had wonderful success growing basil, so much so that I was exploring pinterest for ideas of what to do with all my basil. Lots and lots of pesto recipes came up, along with ways to harvest and store fresh basil. How had I never eaten pesto before you ask? I have a milk allergy and most pesto served in restaurants includes cheese which I can't eat. Not knowing what pesto tasted like, I never had the inclinication to try making it myself. With a surplus of basil on my hands, it was time to try making pesto.
Pesto is a great way to add rich flavor to a variety of dishes, and sneak in some veggies to your children's dinners. All you need to make pesto is a blender or food processor and the ingredients. A batch of pesto makes more than you need for one meal, so you can freeze the extra for future meals. I even discovered that freezing pesto in ice cube trays makes it easy to thaw out just what you need for future meals. In fact, storing ice cube servings of pesto has worked out so well, when I make pesto I now make a big batch so that I have enough for a meal, plus a full tray of ice cubes.
One of my favorite uses for pesto is to make shimp pasta. It has become a regular in my rotation of weeknight meals. I've also enjoyed pesto on baked chicken and the Food Network has a list of 50 things to make with pesto. Lots of ideas and options!
Here are my go to recipes for pesto! I hope you enjoy them as much as my family does.
Basil Spinach Pesto
Modified from recipe by Baker by Nature.
16 oz fresh spinach leaves
2 cups basil leaves, cleaned, stems removed
6 T chopped garlic (can use whole cloves with skin and stubs removed)
4 T lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Insert ingredients into blender or food processor and blend until almost smooth (start on low to get things going and increase speed). You want the pesto to be slightly chunky when you finish. Note: If the blender is working "too hard" add more olive oil.
Pour pesto into ice cube trays and freeze for 24 hours. This recipe makes enough for a full tray of ice cubes, plus a T for a fresh meal. Remove pesto ice cubes and store in a freezer bag or freezer safe container for up to 6 months (best used within 3 months).
Weeknight Pesto Shrimp Pasta
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 T balsalmic vinegar
3 T italian seasoning
2 T margarine (or butter)
2 T olive oil
12 oz. shrimp
3 T pesto (3 ice cubes)
salt and pepper, to taste
Clean, destem, and slice the mushrooms. Put mushrooms into a small bowl with lid, add balsalmic vinegar and 1 T italian seasoning, and mix well. Clean and peel shrimp. Put shrimp into small bowl with lid, add 2 T italian seasoning, and mix well. Cover mushroom and shrimp bowls with lid and refrigerate overnight. Tip: If the shrimp is frozen it can thaw in overnight in the fridge with the seasoning. Put pesto in small bowl and cover to thaw overnight in the fridge.
About 20 minutes before you are ready to eat, boil water for pasta and cook following pasta instructions. While the pasta is cooking, melt margarine and olive oil in a large saute pan on medium heat. When the margarine is fully melted, add mushrooms and saute for 5-10 minutes (I like my mushrooms well cooked). Add seasoned shrimp to pan and saute for 5 minutes (or until thoroughly cooked, cooking time will vary based on size of shrimp). Add pesto, mix well, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Serve over cooked pasta.