Farfalle with Mint Walnut Pesto
Making your own pesto is just about as easy as it gets – ours uses a fragrant mix of fresh mint and basil, while walnuts offer an omega-3-rich alternative to pine nuts!
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Ingredients
- 1/2 packed cup fresh basil (with stems)
- 1/2 packed cup fresh mint (with stems)
- 1/4 cup toasted unsalted walnuts
- 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper, plus additional to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 8 oz whole-wheat farfalle (TRY:
- Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Bow Tie Pasta)
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 9 oz frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and quartered
- Sea salt, to taste
Preparation
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, prepare pesto: To a food processor, add basil, mint, walnuts, Parmesan and 1/4 tsp pepper. Pulse until roughly chopped, five to seven times, scraping down bowl as needed. Add oil and lemon juice and process for 10 to 15 seconds or until a thick, slightly chunky pesto forms.
- (NOTE: Try to not process to a smooth paste, keep it slightly chunky.)
- To boiling water, add pasta and cook al dente according to package directions.
- Before draining pasta, ladle about 1/2 cup cooking water into a heat-proof measuring cup and set aside. Return drained pasta to pot and add tomatoes, artichokes and pesto.
- Place on low heat and stir to combine.
- If more moisture is desired, add reserved pasta cooking water 1 tbsp at a time to achieve desired texture.
- Heat until vegetables are heated through, about 2 minutes.
- Season with salt and additional pepper.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1 3/4 cups of pesto pasta
- Calories 345
- Carbohydrate Content 52 g
- Cholesterol Content 3 mg
- Fat Content 13 g
- Fiber Content 12 g
- Protein Content 13 g
- Saturated Fat Content 2 g
- Sodium Content 137 mg
- Sugar Content 4 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 0 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 4 g