Perlini Pasta With Pesto Recipes

JUICY PESTO PASTA!

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the salt.
• Add pasta and cook for the length of time per the packet.
• Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of of the pasta cooking water.
• Drain pasta in a colander, leave it for a minute.
• Transfer pasta to a bowl (do not use pasta cooking pot, too hot).
• Add pesto and 1/4 cup of pasta water. Toss to coat pasta in pesto, adding more water if required to make pasta silky and saucy, rather than dry and sticky.
• Taste, add more salt and pepper if desired.
• Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parmesan.

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

PESTO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Before draining, reserve about 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain and immediately rinse the pasta under cool water to prevent the noodles from sticking to one another. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl.
• Meanwhile, to prepare the pesto: In a small skillet, toast the pepitas over medium heat, stirring often, until they are fragrant and making little popping noises, about 5 minutes. Pour half of the pepitas into a bowl for later (we will use them as garnish).
• Pour the remaining pepitas into a food processor. Add the basil, parsley, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Process while slowly drizzling in the olive oil, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary, until the pepitas have broken down to create a pretty smooth sauce.
• To assemble the pasta salad, pour all of the pesto over the pasta and toss until the pasta is lightly and evenly coated, adding a tiny splash of reserved pasta cooking water if necessary to thin it out. Then add the cherry tomatoes, arugula, remaining toasted pepitas, and any optional add-ins (olives, chickpeas and/or cheese).
• Toss again to combine, then season to taste with pepper. If the pasta needs more flavor, add salt, to taste, or a splash of lemon juice. If the flavors are too bold, let it rest for a few minutes, and add a little splash of olive oil if necessary to tone down the rest.

EASY PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Boil spaghetti in a large pan according to pack instructions. Drain well, then return to the pan with the pesto and half the Parmesan. Toss well, then tip into a serving bowl and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water until done. Drain.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium low heat. Add pesto, onion, and salt and pepper. Cook about five minutes, or until onions are soft.
• In a large bowl, mix pesto mixture into pasta. Stir in grated cheese. Serve.

PESTO PASTA RECIPE WITH TOMATOES AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees F and arrange a rack in the middle.
• In a larger bowl, toss the tomatoes with kosher salt, black pepper, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. Transfer to a sheet-pan and bake in heated oven 25 to 35 minutes or just until the tomatoes collapse and develop some char (if you don't want them too soft, take the tomatoes out earlier). When ready, remove from the oven. (See notes)
• While the tomatoes are roasting, cook the spaghetti in boiling water according to the package to al dente (about 10 minutes). Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta.
• Transfer the cooked spaghetti to a large bowl (same bowl used earlier for the tomatoes). Add the pesto and toss to coat. If you need to, add a little bit of the pasta cooking water to help mix it evenly. Taste, and if needed, add a bit of kosher salt and black pepper to season.
• Add the roasted tomatoes and mozzarella to the bowl of pasta. Toss to combine. Serve warm. Garnish with fresh basil, if you like.

PERLINI PASTA WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile in a food processor, prepare the pesto sauce.
• In a food processor, combine the nuts and garlic. Process to chop coarsely. Add the basil and olive oil and process to a coarse paste. Add the cheese and process briefly, just to incorporate it. The pesto should be fairly smooth, but have texture. Season with salt to your desired taste.
• Put the perlini pasta in a large shallow dish and gently cover the entire pasta with the pesto sauce. Serve immediately on a dinner plate. I recommend a side of my garlic asparagus (look for my recipe under this title). :).
• Garnish and add sides to your liking. Enjoy!

FOUR CHEESE FETTUCCINE ALFREDO WITH PANCETTA, & PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil. Meanwhile in a large saucepan over high heat, bring the cream and butter to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 minute. Add 6 tablespoons each of the 4 cheeses and whisk over low heat and season with salt and pepper to taste and a generous pinch of nutmeg. Set aside. Saute the pancetta and lightly sauté the procciutto in a skillet.
• Generously salt the boiling water, add the fresh pasta and cook until al dente, 1-3 minutes. Drain.
• Put the fettuccine pasta in a warmed large shallow dish. Pour on the sauce and sprinkle with 6 more tablespoons of the cheese. Serve all immediately on two sides of a dinner plate with the asparagus.
• Garnish and add sides to your liking. Enjoy!

TURKEY MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients (except the mozzarella and olive oil) until evenly incorporated.
• Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, form mixture into balls. Insert a mozzarella pearl into the center and seal the meatball mixture around it so it is completely enclosed. Repeat with the remaining meatballs.
• Arrange meatballs on the prepared baking sheet with space in between. Drizzle the tops with the olive oil.
• Bake until no longer pink on the inside and the outsides are golden, about 22 minutes. (The meatballs are done when an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F. See note below.)
• Serve as desired with spaghetti, as sliders, or in soup.