Lemon Pesto Rice Recipes

LIGHT LEMON PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti at a boil until cooked through but firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain. Transfer spaghetti to a large bowl.
• Put cubed Romano cheese in the bowl of a food processor; process until coarsely grated, about 30 seconds. Put garlic into the food processor and process until the cheese and garlic are combined. Add spinach, basil, walnuts, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt; process until the mixture comes together into a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
• With food processor running, drizzle olive oil into the mixture. Continue processing until the oil is integrated smoothly.
• Pour sauce over spaghetti and toss to coat.

LEMON RICE

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, bring water, broth, lemon juice and butter to a boil. Stir in rice, basil and lemon zest. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Before serving, sprinkle with lemon-pepper.

PESTO RISOTTO

Steps:

• Add oil to a medium skillet. Add rice and toast until lightly golden brown about 2 minutes.
• Pour in wine and cook for 1-2 minutes or until most of the wine is absorbed.
• Pour in warm chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time until liquid is absorbed. (Keep chicken stock warm in a saucepan) Stir rice occasionally. Cook for 20-30 minutes or until all of the chicken stock is absorbed.
• Add in butter and stir until melted.
• Take off of heat and add in Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and pesto. Stir to combine and serve immediately.

LEMON PESTO RICE

Steps:

• In a 2- to 3-quart pan, bring water to a boil. Add rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover, adjust heat to low, and cook until most of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes. Stir in pesto and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest.
• Garnish with chopped tomatoes.

HOW TO MAKE LEMON PESTO

Steps:

• Add all ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender
• Pulse 20-30 seconds, stopping and scraping down the sides in between pulses
• If it's too thick, add a little more EVOO to your desired texture
• Texture should be smooth and not pasty

SPAGHETTI WITH LEMON PESTO

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler (preferably a Y-style peeler), remove the zest from the lemons in long, wide strips; try to remove only the colored portion of the peel, not the bitter white pith just underneath. You should have about ⅔ cup zest strips.
• In a large pot, combine 2 quarts water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar and half of the zest strips. Bring to a boil and to cook for 2 minutes, then remove and discard the zest. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente. Reserve 1½ cups of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the remaining zest strips, the almonds, Parmesan, the remaining ½ teaspoon sugar and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Process until the mixture resembles coarse sand, 10 to 20 seconds. Add the oil and process just until the oil is incorporated (the mixture will not be smooth), about another 10 seconds; set aside until the pasta is ready.
• To the spaghetti in the pot, add the pesto and ¾ cup of the reserved pasta water, then toss to combine; add more reserved pasta water as needed so the pesto coats the noodles. Toss in the chives. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve drizzled with additional oil and with additional grated Parmesan on the side.