Sunflower Seed Pesto Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
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A Note from Feedfeed
Whip up a quick and easy sunflower seed pesto! What we love about this recipe is it's easily adaptable so you can use whatever fresh greens and herbs you have on hand. Also, by using sunflower seeds instead of the traditional pine nuts, this recipe is much more budget friendly!
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ingredients
- 4 cups Mixed greens and herbs (we used 3 cups arugula and 1 cup of basil here)
- juice and zest of one lemon
- juice of one lime
- 1/2 cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
- 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 pound spaghetti (or pasta of choice)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Method
Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Step 2
Meanwhile add your greens and herbs of choice to a high-speed blender or food processor along with the lemon juice and zest, lime juice, sunflower seeds, salt, garlic, honey and parmesan cheese (if using).
Step 3
With the blender or processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you have a smooth paste.
Step 4
When the water reaches a boil, add pasta and cook to al dente (about 9 minutes depending on the brand). Drain pasta, reserving one cup of the pasta water.
Step 5
Toss the cooked pasta with about 1 cup of the prepared pesto, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to coat. Serve the pesto pasta in bowls topped with cherry tomatoes.
Step 6
Store any leftover pesto in the fridge (topped with a layer of olive oil to preserve the color) for up to 3 days.