Whether you have a garden, a pot of herbs on the porch, or are a farmer's market aficionado, warmer months often = being up to your ears in basil! If you're looking for a way to use up a serious amount (4 cups) of it while it's in its prime, this classic recipe sneaks in some extra greens and makes for a fresh, bright addition to our grain-free Cauliflower Linguini.
Serves 3-4
1 package Taste Republic gluten-free cauliflower linguini
½ cup almonds
2 medium-sized garlic cloves
4 cups basil
2 cups baby spinach
¾ cups extra virgin olive oil
⅔ cup aged Italian cheese, grated (like Parmesan or Pecorino Romano), plus more, for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
To make the pesto:
Preheat the oven to 350˚. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and roast for 7-10 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from oven and let cool.
Add the nuts to the bowl of a food processor along with the garlic. Pulse quickly 10-12 times, until the almonds and garlic are roughly chopped. Add the basil and spinach and run the food processor for about 5 seconds to begin to break down the leaves. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the food processor.
With the motor running, stream in the olive oil slowly. Scrape the pesto into a mixing bowl and fold in the grated cheese. Season to taste.
To make the pasta:
Bring a pot of salted water to boil on the stovetop. Cook pasta according to package directions, then immediately drain, reserving ⅓ cup of pasta water.
Working quickly, while the pasta is still hot, add the linguini back to the pot. Add ½ cup pesto, along with the reserved water. Stir over low heat, just until pesto has thinned out and coats the noodles.
Serve with additional grated cheese.
Tips:
- You will have leftover pesto — use it on sandwiches, or thin with water to make a salad dressing
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can make this with a large mortar and pestle — lots of elbow grease required, and prep time will increase, but it’s super tasty and worth the effort.
- You can sub any nut for the almonds, or go traditional and use pine nuts.
- Feel free to play with the ratio of spinach:basil. Adding more basil will make the flavor profile sweeter; spinach will add bitter notes.
