Ingredients needed for the Pesto
3 cups of Spinach- I used baby spinach
A squeeze of Lemon- To taste
Salt-To taste
Black Pepper- To taste
1/3 cup of Walnuts- You can toast it lightly if you want
1/2 cup of Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup of Olive Oil
2-3 cloves of Garlic
Optional- Dried Basil
How to make it
1) Use a food processor and put the garlic, walnuts, parmigiano cheese, black pepper and salt
2) Add the Spinach and lemon and slowly drizzle in half cup of olive oil blend it until you have reached the desired consistency of chunky or smooth
Combine it with the Pasta
1) Boil 454 grams of desired pasta and cook it according to the instructions given on the package- (I used Whole Wheat, but the normal variety is good to)
2) Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta
3) Add the pesto to the cooked pasta and use some of the pasta water to get the desired consistency
Notes
*If you want to use a blender instead follow the instructions above but add cooled pasta water to the blender to make the blending process more efficient
*I love adding red chili flakes to it on top
*Because you salt the water, make sure you keep that in mind as you salt the pesto
* Experiment!!! You can substitute and mix and match different greens like basil and Arugula and more. Almonds and pine nuts are also popular choices
