Recipe: Pesto Pasta (with wheat free option)

PESTO PASTA

As written, this recipe is free of corn, soy, nut, and egg free. It can also be made wheat, gluten and dairy free using substitutions below.

3/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup parmesan or asiago cheese, grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 to 3/4 lb dry pasta

PREPARE THE SAUCE FIRST:
Place oil, sea salt, pepper and minced garlic in the blender or food processor. Start the blender on the puree setting and remove the center of the lid if you can. If not, just remove the lid. Put in the basil leaves, a few at a time until all of the leaves have been pureed into the mixture.

Add the grated parmesan, about 1/4 cup of it at a time until it has been well mixed into the sauce. If using a food processor, you can place everyting in at once and process until smooth. This will make about 1-1/4 cups of sauce, enough for about 1/2 to 3/4 lb pasta (before cooking), depending on how "saucy" you like it.

Once the sauce is made, set aside and prepare the pasta of your choice until "al dente." When pasta is ready, drain it well and combine the sauce and pasta, tossing to mix. Serve immediately. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese as desires.

FOR WHEAT AND GLUTEN FREE:
Use rice or other pasta as desired. I prefer Tinkyada brown rice pasta because it has a "bite" similar to wheat pasta and it holds up well to cooking. It is the very best I have found, and I have tried them all!

FOR DAIRY FREE:
Toss 1/4 cup pine nuts into the blender. Soy cheese can be sprinkled on top, but does not combine or grate well in the blender. An excellent dairy free pesto can be made by just eliminating the cheese and not making any other changes.