Description
A easy Sicilian tomato and almond based pesto that is a great weeknight meal! Serves 2-4 people
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/2 lb pasta (I like to use spaghetti)
- 1/3 cup (35 g) toasted unsalted slivered almonds
- 70 g parmesan, broken into pieces (3/4 cup grated) , **to make it vegan use 1/3 cup nutritional yeast (70 g)**
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 pint (10 oz, 283 g) cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1/2 cup (16 g) basil leaves (~22 leaves)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 tsp red chili flake (or to taste)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Bring salted water to a boil. Once boiling adds 1/2 lb pasta and cook according to directions until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, add 1/3 cup (35 g) slivered almonds, 70 g parmesan, and 2 garlic cloves to a food processor or blender and pulse until fine, about 10-12x. Add 1 pint (10 oz, 283 g) cherry or grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup (16 g) basil leaves, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp red chili flake (or to taste), and salt and pepper to taste. Pulse until smooth, about 12x. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta into a bowl and add enough pesto to cover the pasta. Top with a little drizzle of olive oil (optional). Use tongs to mix well and add a little bit of pasta water if the sauce needs to be loosened a little. Enjoy while warm. If you have any leftover pesto, you can freeze this in an airtight container or store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
To make this recipe nut-free- use sunflower seeds instead of almonds, to make it Gluten Free- use GF pasta, and to make it vegan use nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan instead of parmesan.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 6 mins
- Category: Main
- Cuisine: Italian
