Summer Fresh Pasta

Pasta is my favorite comfort food, and I tend to think about it in terms of big, heavy meals that typically suit a winter dinner rather than a summer lunch. But I would never wait that long for pasta- so here is a way to enjoy comfort of homemade pasta, with the freshness of summer herbs, and the lightness of a summer lunch. Enjoy!

Serves: 4-5 Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

·       2-3 cups of Fusilli or your favorite noodle
Pictured here is my homemade spinach basil fusilli

·       1 cup of baby spinach

·       1 bunch of asparagus

·       3-4 cloves of garlic (chopped)

·       About 1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·       2 cups of Italian parsley (large stems removed)

·       1/2 cup of fresh basil

·      1/4 cup of fresh oregano

·      1 lemon (juice)

·      1 tablespoon of black pepper

·      1/2 - 1 cup of small mozzarella balls (depending on how much cheese you prefer- a good rule in my house is the more cheese the better)

·      Black pepper to taste

Recipe

1. Cook fusilli to al dente (reserve a cup of cooking water for the pesto), salting the water generously.

2. Blend together Parsley, basil, and oregano adding in olive oil as needed to achieve a pesto-like consistency. Squeeze in lemon juice (making sure not to get in the seeds) half at a time. Blend together once more and set aside.

3. Remove ends from the asparagus and chop into 1/4 inch segments.

4. In a large pan, bring 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil with chopped garlic to a simmer on medium heat.

5. Add asparagus to the pan for about 5 minutes - until bright green, but still crunchy. Add black pepper here for flavor

6. Add in 1 cup of spinach and cook for 1 minute.

7. Reduce heat to low, add in pasta and combine well.

8. Stir in pesto to pasta and veggies. Stir until pasta is evenly coated
   Here is where that cooked water you set aside comes in handy- if pesto is too thick or not coating the pasta well, add water in small increments until you reach the desired consistency and even coating.

9. Finally, remove pasta from eat and stir in mozzarella balls.

10. Serve hot or cold for the perfect summer herb pasta salad or a fresh warm dinner!

Tips

• Follow my homemade pasta recipes on the site to bring added flavor and color to the dish!

• Play with the proportions of the herbs and spices and make this dish your own

• Parmesan can be added to the pesto to give it a creamier texture