I worked out this recipe to try and get a few more good fats into the family. Walnuts, parmesan, olive oil and ghee all have great fats in them that help with cell membrane integrity, good brain health and hormone creation. So super good for you. And you can add heaps of extras at the end of cooking for nutrient density - Avocado, sesame seeds, crumbled walnuts, basil or parsley. You can also play around with the noodles - Zoodles (Zucchini spirals), Spaghetti Squash, Buckwheat pasta as per the recipe or 100% lentil pasta penne. Enjoy!
Serves: 8
Pesto Pasta with Bacon using a Walnut & Basil pesto
Ingredients for the Pesto:
- 1⁄3 cup walnuts
- 1⁄2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cups of Basil
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
- 2⁄3 cup extra virgin Olive Oil
Directions for the Pesto
Using a food processor process the walnuts and garlic until roughly chopped and blended. Now add the basil, salt and pepper and process until finely chopped. Then add the olive oil slowly through the feed tube whilst the food processor is running. Then add the Parmesan cheese and process until smooth and you have your sauce. This sauce is enough to serve 8, so I used half to make dinner and the other half will save in the fridge for a week or you can freeze it in ice cubes or in one batch.
To make the meal you will need the following ingredients:
- 4 rashers of bacon
- 1⁄2 an onion
- 2-3 mushrooms
- 1⁄4 red pepper
- 1⁄2 green pepper
- Tablespoon of ghee for frying
- 8 tablespoons of pesto sauce above(half the batch)
- 300g of dry weight Buckwheat Pasta
- Optional - 1⁄2 avocado, parsley, walnuts or sesame seeds as desired.
Directions
Add the ghee and stir fry the onions, bacon, mushrooms and red and green pepper. Meanwhile cook the buckwheat pasta according to the instructions. Drain the pasta, add to the frying pan and then add the pesto and warm it all back up – be careful not to overheat so that the good fats in the pesto are not denatured. Serve with a garnish of basil or parsley and a few chunks of avocado, crumbled walnuts, parsley and sesame seeds if desired to add additional nutritional density to the meal.
#wholefoods #familymeals #goodfats #glutenfree
Photo: https://pixnio.com/food-and-drink/food-diet-flower-walnut-bread-kitchen-table