Tagliarelle with Pesto Sauce and Roasted Green Vegetables

This was my first attempt at making pesto and I totally lucked out that it worked! I haven’t had pesto in years and I had forgotten how much I like it. I made this dish two ways but forgot to take pictures of the first version which had cauliflower instead of pasta. The cauliflower version would also work well as a side dish.

Ingredients:
2 cups basil leaves
2-3 cloves garlic
¹/₂ cup parmesan
¹/₄ cup pine nuts
¹/₂ cup olive oil
1 package pasta or 1 head cauliflower
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine the first five ingredients, salt and pepper in a blender.
2. Blend until well combined.

For the Pasta Version:

1. Cook the pasta according to package.
2. Drain the cooked pasta and transfer the pasta to a bowl. Add the pesto and toss well.
3. Sprinkle with parmesan and pine nuts and serve.

For the Cauliflower Version:

1. Cut the cauliflower in florets.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil and add the florets and cook until tender.
3. Drain the cauliflower and toss with the pesto.
4. Sprinkle with parmesan and pine nuts.

As always, enjoy!

Tags: basil, cauliflower, dinner, entree, parmesan, pesto, pine nuts, side dish, vegetarian