This dish is so impossibly simple but packs so much nutrition and flavor it’s unbelievable.
But I’m here to tell you, it’s true! Eating well can not only be delicious but it can be easy too. And let’s face it, we all have plenty on our plates (no pun intended…or maybe a little pun intended), the last thing we need to do is spend hours in the kitchen trying to prepare wholesome, balanced meals.
That’s why I love, love, love simple dishes like this because they bring some serious flavor while still coming together in under 30 minutes.
I’ve been a store-bought pesto girl for a while now until I realized just how stupidly easy it is to make on your own. It uses only 5 ingredients (most of which I usually have on hand anyway), one kitchen appliance and about 5 minutes total. I even put together a little video for you guys below to prove to you that it honestly is as easy as I say it is!
I made this vegetarian – but you can easily add chicken, chickpeas or even shrimp to it. That’s another great thing about this dish, you can serve it so many different ways so you don’t end up getting totally bored of it.
You can also mix up the veggies you choose to add into it. The roasted asparagus pairs perfectly with this dish but you can do steamed broccoli, zucchini, brussel sprouts – the list is endless!
Ingredients
- For the Pasta
- 1/2 package of whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 bunch fresh asparagus
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- Optional for topping: walnuts, shaved parmesan
- For the Pesto
- 3-4 large handfuls of fresh spinach
- 3-4 cloves peeled garlic (less if you don't really like the garlic taste to shine through)
- 1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup walnut halves
- Olive oil (I really don't measure the olive oil, I stream it in until I've reached the desired thinness - we like ours kind of thick, the more olive oil you stream in, the thinner the pesto will get)
Instructions
- Add spinach, garlic, cheese and walnuts to a food processor and begin to process.
- Slowly stream in olive oil pausing after about 1 minute to scrape down the sides of the processor
- Cover again and continue to process adding more olive oil as needed until you've reached your desired thinness
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Line a cookie sheet with tin foil
- Cut the white stems off the asparagus off (about 1/3 a way up the talk) then spread in a single layer on the cookie sheet lined with foil
- Drizzle with ~2 teaspoons olive oil and place in the oven until just browned and slightly crisp (about 15-20 minutes, but watch closely as the time may vary depending on the oven)
- Meanwhile, heat a pot of boiling water on the stove and cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta and return to pot it was cooked in
- Add pesto to pasta and toss until well combined
- Add pasta to a large bowl, top with roasted asparagus, a sprinkling of walnuts and shaved parmesan and serve
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