Mixed Nuts Pesto Pasta

Mixed Nuts Pesto

Taste, Health, Diet, Allergies….too many to think about before you start cooking, innit? As I mentioned in my earlier posts, I always try and cook something healthy without compromising the taste…well, I try 😉 Mixed Nuts Pesto Pasta is one of those tries 😋

I felt wholesomeness when I had pasta with homemade pesto for dinner tonight. I prefer homemade pesto rather than buying at the store of which we don’t have any control over the quality. I have added varieties of nuts (walnuts, cashews, peanuts and pine nuts) to my pesto sauce, this enhances the flavour at the same time as it gives abundant nutrients.

Serves – 4 to 5

Ingredients

30g Fresh basil leaves washed and stemmed
20g fresh coriander leaves washed and chopped
30g Mixed nuts ( walnuts, cashews, dry roasted peanuts – discard the skin if you like, lightly roasted pine nuts)
1 large garlic clove
Extra Virgin olive oil – 4 to 5 tbsp
1/2 a cup parmesan cheese – freshly grated
1 tsp grounded black pepper
Required amount of salt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
300g dried Pasta or spaghetti

Method

Cook pasta in a heavy saucepan with boiling salted water until soft and tender. Drain the excessive water.
Meanwhile, get on with preparing a pesto sauce. In a blender/food processor, tip in all the nuts and garlic cloves and blend it to a coarse paste.
Now add in Basil leaves, coriander leaves and olive oil then pulse it until you get a smooth paste.
Now stir in the parmesan cheese into the pesto paste and the lemon juice as well. Drizzle in some extra olive oil, if you like. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve it with cooked pasta or enjoy this pesto sauce as a spread for sandwich too.