Welcome to the October 4, 2015 edition of Sunday Scratchups, your weekly recipe from scratch around grocery sales and affordable ingredients This week we’re cooking around fall garden produce and free Barilla Pronto Pasta from a Target deal a couple weeks ago — so, technically, this is actually Parsley Pesto Pronto Pasta. It’s just too bad I didn’t buy penne!.
Earlier this year I was on a chimichurri kick and planted a little parsley plant in my garden. I’ve used some here and there over the summer, but my one little neglected parsley plant has morphed into one big parsley jungle, just crying out to be used before it frosts.
I’m also still picking cherry tomatoes and ended up with two cups the other day, while my Pete’s Market has had walnuts on an extended sale at $5.99/lb. Pete’s also had organic spinach on sale for $1.98; ALDI had mushrooms for $.69 earlier this week and sells tubs of shredded Parmesan for $1.99 every day.
Free pasta, plentiful parsley, and cheap veggies kind of naturally fall into place as Parsley Pesto Pasta! This easy dinner recipe is vegetarian, and easily made gluten free if you swap out the pasta for a gluten free variety. Use up some of your own fall garden bounty, or change up the veggies according to what you happen to have on hand.
Parsley Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
for the pesto
One bunch parsley
1/3 cup walnuts
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
3 cloves garlic
Juice from 1/2 a small lemon
sea salt
pepper
crushed red pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
for the pasta
One batch parsley pesto (see above)
12 oz package of Barilla Pronto Pasta (or use 12 oz of a regular 16 oz box)
8 oz sliced mushrooms
two handfuls fresh spinach
2 cups cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
sea salt
basil
crushed red pepper
Directions
First, make your pesto: Combine parsley, walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, and lemon juice in food processor and add sea salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste. Blend until smooth, then pour in olive oil while processing until just blended. Taste and adjust seasonings to your own liking.
Set pesto aside, or refrigerate if making ahead of time. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and return to pan, reserving some of the starchy pasta water to thin out sauce if necessary. Note: The Pronto Pasta is supposed to be one pan, no drain. I added an extra cup of water because it also said to cover the pasta with water (which didn’t happen with the stated three cups) and I wanted a bit left over anyway. It wasn’t boiled off by the time the pasta was done, so I just drained the pan. (Less “pronto,” but how hard is it to make pasta, anyway?)
While pasta is cooking, saute your mushrooms in a separate pan in a little olive oil over medium heat until browned and softened. In a third pan, saute cherry tomatoes over medium low heat in a little olive oil for 12-14 minutes, until they start to burst, adding a little sea salt, dried basil, and crushed red pepper to taste. When pasta and veggies are done, throw a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach into the hot drained pasta and stir. Add sauteed veggies and stir them in until spinach is wilted. Add pesto and stir until combined, thinning out with starchy pasta water if necessary (I added 1/4 cup). Serve immediately, topping with additional Parmesan if desired.
That’s Parsley Pesto Pasta
Parsley Pesto Pasta is such an easy and filling dinner recipe, perfect for a Meatless Monday! (Um, so it might be: Perfect Parsley Pesto Pronto Penne Pasta?! lol) Ramp up the garlicky goodness with a side of garlic toast, and serve with a simple green salad to round out an easy weeknight meal.
Confession time: I really didn’t think the kids would eat this because: Green! Vegetables! but was pleasantly proved wrong — Junior High Guy alone scarfed down two bowls, and happily ate leftovers the next day. He doesn’t even like mushrooms, but the garlicky pesto somehow worked an amazing kind of magic. I’m not complaining! So much fresher and tastier than jarred sauce, and this meatless dish is still plenty hearty & filling.
Easy print version
Parsley Pesto Pasta with Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Spinach
Ingredients
for the pesto
- One bunch parsley
- 1/3 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
- 3 cloves garlic
- Juice from 1/2 a small lemon
- sea salt
- pepper
- crushed red pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
for the pasta
- One batch parsley pesto see above
- 12 oz package of Barilla Pronto Pasta or use 12 oz of a regular 16 oz box
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- two handfuls fresh spinach
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- Olive oil
- sea salt
- basil
- crushed red pepper
Instructions
First, make your pesto:
- Combine parsley, walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, and lemon juice in food processor and add sea salt, pepper, and red pepper to taste.
- Blend until smooth, then pour in olive oil while processing until just blended.
- Taste and adjust seasonings to your own liking.
Now, make your pasta:
- Set pesto aside, or refrigerate if making ahead of time.
- Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and return to pan, reserving some of the starchy pasta water to thin out sauce if necessary.
- While pasta is cooking, saute your mushrooms in a separate pan in a little olive oil over medium heat until browned and softened.
- In a third pan, saute cherry tomatoes over medium low heat in a little olive oil for 12-14 minutes, until they start to burst, adding a little sea salt, dried basil, and crushed red pepper to taste.
- When pasta and veggies are done, throw a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach into the hot drained pasta and stir.
- Add sauteed veggies and stir them in until spinach is wilted.
- Add pesto and stir until combined, thinning out with starchy pasta water if necessary (I added 1/4 cup). Serve immediately, topping with additional Parmesan if desired.
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