One Pot Pesto Pasta

Posted by Sarah M. White

Alright folks, no glamor this post. This week has been super busy! But over the weekend, I did get the chance to make this delicious one pot pesto pasta that is dairy-free! My mom discovered this recipe when I first had to cut dairy. I LOVE Italian food, but so much of it has dairy. This recipe is amazing because, although it's dairy-free, it doesn't sacrifice on flavor. No one can resist seconds on this dish. 

I'm tagging this one as "easy" because it involves no chopping. The only real "cooking" that you need to do is toast the walnuts. If you want even more time savings, use jarred minced garlic. I try to use a real lemon because I have a great hand-held citrus juicer. Anyway, it's a very doable recipe with kids running around, and it's ready pretty quickly. 

In this recipe, you cook the pasta in the exact amount of liquid that is needed, and the pasta absorbs the liquid and makes a small amount of sauce. There's no water to dump after you cook the pasta. It's super easy. 

Modifications

I recommend only using the juice from half of a lemon, not a whole lemon, and I don't think the zest is necessary. We always use angel hair instead of spaghetti. One time I added more spinach and it was not so good. 4 cups is just right. And don't scrimp on the basil. It's the star of the dish. Next summer I'm thinking about trying to grow basil. I've had indoor basil plants before, but they always die. *sigh*

Recipe

The recipe is from the feed feed and you can see it here with a much more glamorous and appetizing picture that will inspire you to try it! 

Here's a pic from this weekend's leftovers-- I forgot all about pics because I was making it for my in-laws! (They loved it. I believe they said "restaurant quality" 😀). 

Also, happy three months to To the Mom Next Door! My first post was on June 30th. Thanks to my subscribers for reading for the past three months! I appreciate your support 💗