Asparagus And Walnut Basil Pesto Pasta
Rotini pasta is cooked with asparagus, tossed with fresh walnut basil pesto and sprinkled with shaved Parmesan. Quick, healthy dinner all complete in 20 minutes. (Jump to Recipe)
First, start off with salted boiling water. Cook your favorite pasta according to package directions. Lately, I’ve been going through and trying all the different brown rice and quinoa pastas. They’re almost identical in taste and texture in comparison to any regular pasta I’ve ever had. If you haven’t tried any of these pastas I’d recommend it. You might actually like it better than the one you’ve always been buying. The one pictured here is a corn, brown rice, and quinoa rotini pasta from Ancient Harvest.
2-3 minutes before your pasta is finished cooking, toss in the asparagus with the pasta and let the asparagus blanch. This will soften it so it’s not raw and super crunchy. If your asparagus is thick and large in size, put them in the pot with the pasta 3-4 minutes before the pasta is finished cooking.
While the pasta is cooking, I started on the walnut basil pesto. In a food processor, throw together basil, walnuts, 1/4 cup Parmesan, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Blend until smooth.
Drain the pasta and asparagus in a colander and run it under cold water to help it stop cooking. And last, my favorite part, toss the pasta and asparagus together in the silky walnut basil pesto until the pasta is well coated. Sprinkle with grated/shaved parmesan and there you have yourself one of the quickest gourmet dinners in all of 20 minutes!
Still looking for a healthy meal to make for tonight? Try these:
Healthy Taco Turkey Burrito Bowls
The Ultimate Vegan-Veggie Sandwich
Asparagus And Walnut Basil Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound rotini pasta or other kind of pasta on hand
- 1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed and halved
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup grated or shaved parmesan cheese, extra for garnish
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in large pot of boiling water according to package directions. 2-3 minutes before the pasta is finished cooking, toss in the asparagus with the pasta and let the asparagus blanch. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto. Place basil, garlic, walnuts, Parmesan, and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add olive oil until mixture is smooth.
- Toss the cooked pasta, asparagus, and pesto together until pasta and asparagus is well coated. Garnish with remaining Parmesan and freshly ground pepper.
Did you make this pasta recipe? Tag @fettysfoodblog or #fettysfoodblog on Insta, I’d love to see your creation!
