Pesto Penne Primavera Food

PEAS AND PESTO PASTA PRIMAVERA | BARILLA

Steps:

• Bring 4 to 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil, add salt to taste and the Penne, and stir gently.
• Cook pasta according to package directions adding the vegetables and peas for the last 4 minutes of cooking; remove from heat and drain well.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot bring the Rustic Basil Pesto and half-and-half to a low simmer.
• Add pasta to the sauce in pot; heat through.
• Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.
• Customize it: Customization is clutch when it comes to making meals to please even the pickiest eaters. With this dish, any fresh vegetable mixture will do. *Or reserve 1/4 cup pasta water and use in place of half-and-half or whole milk.

PESTO PENNE PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Combine the basil, garlic, 1/4 cup pine nuts, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, and lemon juice in a food processor and blend until well combined and has the texture of fresh pesto; set aside.
• Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta in boiling water until cooked yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain. Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil over the pasta and toss to coat; set aside.
• Heat 1 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Roast the pine nuts in the skillet until lightly browned; remove to a plate and set aside. Add the asparagus, zucchini, Kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, and sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet; cook and stir until hot, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir the pine nuts into the vegetable mixture. Add the pasta and about 1/4 cup of the pesto, or more to your liking, to the skillet and toss to combine. Serve in bowls topped with the grated Parmesan cheese.

PENNE WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Meanwhile, pluck the basil leaves from the stems (you should have about 2 cups leaves). Wash the leaves in a large bowl of cold water and dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with paper towels. Smash and peel the garlic.
• Put the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the processor running, gradually add the olive oil and process until the pesto is smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl and stir in the cheese. Season with the salt and some pepper.
• Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the penne and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and save about 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the bowl. Use tongs and toss with enough of the cooking water so the pesto coats the pasta evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
• Upgrades: a. Make the pesto creamy by adding 1/4 cup ricotta cheese when processing the basil, garlic, and pine nuts. This is great with tortellini or ravioli. b. Top dressed pesto pasta with 1/2 pound diced large or halved small fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini), 3 medium tomatoes cut in large chunks, and 1/2 cup pitted black olives, (we like kalamata for this), roughly chopped. c. Add cooked 1 to 2 cups chicken or shrimp.
• Twists on Pesto: In place of basil, try the following combination: 1 cup parsley, 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves. Substitute walnuts for the pine nuts

PASTA PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• On a large heavy baking sheet, toss all of the vegetables with the oil, salt, pepper, and dried herbs to coat. Transfer half of the vegetable mixture to another heavy large baking sheet and arrange evenly over the baking sheets. Bake until the carrots are tender and the vegetables begin to brown, stirring after the first 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Toss the pasta with the vegetable mixtures in a large bowl to combine. Toss with the cherry tomatoes and enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve immediately.

PESTO PASTA PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, make the pesto. Combine the peas, basil, almonds and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse to combine. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until the pesto is smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and cook until it begins to soften, about a minute or two. Add the peas and asparagus and cook until the vegetables begin to just soften, but still retain their bright color, about 1-2 minutes. Add the onion, stir to combine, and season with the salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the vegetable mixture with the pasta and garnish with grated Parmesan and chopped, fresh basil, as desired. Serve warm.

CHICKEN PESTO PENNE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, sour cream and pesto. Drain pasta. Add pasta and chicken to Parmesan mixture; toss to coat.

PESTO SHRIMP PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• Toss the hot penne pasta with 3 tablespoons of pesto sauce. Put pasta on large platter and cover to keep warm.
• Over medium high heat, cook the peppers and onion in oil 8 minutes. Add the zucchini, shrimp and salt; cook for 8 more minutes or until the shrimp are opaque, stirring frequently.
• Top the pasta with mixture; add the remaining pesto and toss.

PENNE PRIMAVERA

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, melt half of margarine, and brown onion, green and red pepers until softened and crisp (about 5 minutes).Cook pasta as indicated on packaging ; drain well.Mix pasta with vegetables ; add second half of margarine, cheese and ground pepper ; toss well to coat pasta evenly.Before serving, sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

30 WAYS TO COOK PENNE PASTA

Steps:

• Cook penne according to directions on package.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes, until garlic starts to get fragrant.
• Toss in pasta and season with salt and pepper.

PESTO PASTA WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Cook your pasta according to the package directions. Once cooked, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water, then drain pasta and place it back into the pot.
• While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add vegetables and saute for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened. Turn heat to low and stir in garlic and Italian seasoning.
• Add cooked pasta over vegetables. Toss everything with pesto, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. If you prefer a thinner sauce, add the reserved pasta water and toss once again.
• Serve pasta with more parmesan cheese on top, if desired.