Best Ever Pesto Potato Pasta Food

BEST EVER PESTO & POTATO PASTA

Steps:

• KIDS: the writing in bold is for you. GROWN-UPS: the rest is for you. Pick the basil for the pesto. Get your child to pick the basil leaves off the stalks. Ask them to look at and smell the leaves as you tell them the name of the herb until they remember it - try to do this with all herbs when you can.
• Make the pesto. Toast the pine nuts in a pan over a low heat. A child of seven years plus can stir the nuts in the pan. Tip into a mini chopper (or use a pestle and mortar) with the basil, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. Blitz or pound into a green sauce, then set aside.
• Chop up the beans. Using a child-friendly knife, get children from the age of five to chop the green beans into shorter lengths, and quarter the potatoes. Younger children can snap the beans into short lengths while you prepare the potatoes.
• Cook the vegetables and pasta. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the potatoes and boil for 3 mins. Remove from the heat and ask the child to tip in the pasta and give it a stir. Put the pan back on the heat, boil the pasta for 5 mins, add the beans and cook for a final 3 mins.
• Mix everything together. Drain everything well and tip into a bowl. Spoon most of the pesto into the pasta and stir everything together to coat. Bring the large bowl of pasta to the table and serve with extra parmesan, more basil and remaining pesto, if you like.

PESTO PASTA & POTATOES

Steps:

• Place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain; transfer to a large bowl., Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, adding green beans during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup pasta water; add to potatoes. Toss with pesto, cheese and enough pasta water to moisten.

THE BEST CLASSIC PESTO

Steps:

• Pulse basil and garlic in a food processor about 8 times until finely chopped. Add toasted pine nuts and salt; turn processor on low and drizzle olive oil through the chute until everything is incorporated. Add Parmesan cheese and lemon juice; pulse 2 times.

SPINACH ALA PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the fettuccine ala dente.
• Roast walnuts in a 400°F oven for about 5 minutes; watch they do not burn.
• In a food processor put 2 cups spinach, 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/4 cup walnuts, half the Gruyere, 1/2 cup oil, 2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper, half the basil, half the oregano and half the cream.
• Process until smooth.
• Repeat with remaining half of the ingredients.
• Set aside 1/2 cup of walnuts for garnish.
• Heat the sauce, keep warm.
• Pour sauce over cooked pasta, toss.
• Garnish with walnuts and serve.

PERFECT PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Toast pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and let cool, 5-7 minutes.
• Add garlic and grated Parmesan to food processor and pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add basil and, with the motor running, add oil in a slow and steady stream; continue to process until pesto is mostly smooth with just a few flecks of green remaining, about 1 minute. Pulse in 1 tsp. salt.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.
• Place pesto and butter in a large bowl. Add pasta and 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid. Toss vigorously with tongs, adding more pasta cooking liquid as needed, until pasta is glossy and well coated with sauce. Taste pasta and season with more salt if needed.
• Divide pasta among bowls. Top with shaved Parmesan.
• Do Ahead: Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Pour oil over to cover by 1/4" to prevent browning. Press plastic wrap directly against surface and chill.

BEST-EVER PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• COOK pasta according to package directions, adding frozen vegetables to boiling pasta water for last 2 minutes of cooking time; drain. Return pasta and vegetables to cooking pot.
• MEANWHILE, COMBINE evaporated milk, cheese, pesto and black pepper in medium saucepan. Cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.
• POUR cheese sauce over pasta and vegetables. Add ham; stir until combined.

PASTA AND POTATOES WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Place all pesto ingredients except the oil in a food processor and process well. With the machine still running, add oil and blend until the consistency of soft butter.
• In covered saucepan, cook beans in salted water for 2-3 minutes.
• Add potatoes and cook until tender about 8-10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta according to the instructions on the pasta package. Drain pasta.
• Drain the potatoe/Green bean mixture reserving 2-3 T. of the liquid.
• Add the liquid to the pesto and toss with butter.
• Combine pesto, vegetables and pasta and toss until well coated.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with grated Parmesan Cheese.

PESTO POTATOES

Steps:

• Scrub but do not peel the potatoes, and cook them in water to cover for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on their size. Do not let potatoes get mushy.
• Turn on the food processor, and put the garlic through the feed tube to process.
• Wash, dry and remove basil leaves from the stems. Add the basil, ricotta, yogurt, blue cheese and vinegar to the processor work bowl. Blend throughly. Season to taste with pepper, and mix in pine nuts.
• When potatoes are cooked, drain, and cut in halves or quarters, depending on size. Toss with sauce, and serve.

PASTA, GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Make pesto: In the bowl of food processor, add basil, pine nuts, salt and garlic. Pulse until mixture is coarse and grainy. With the motor running, add oil in slow, steady stream. Add cheese; process just enough to mix well. If sauce is too dry, add a little more oil. Taste; add more cheese or salt, if desired.
• Bring 6 quarts water to rolling boil. Add at least 2 tablespoons salt and the potato slices. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until potatoes have started to soften but are not cooked through. Add green beans, and continue boiling another 5 minutes.
• Add pasta, and stir. Start testing pasta at 5 minutes. When it is done, and when potatoes and beans are tender, drain and turn pasta and vegetables immediately into preheated bowl. Add pesto, and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately.

PASTA WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Put pesto in a large bowl. Cook linguine or spaghetti until al dente. Whisk about 1/3 cup pasta cooking water into pesto. Add drained pasta to thinned pesto with salt and pepper to taste and toss well. Serve with additional Parmigiano-Reggiano.