Lemony Arugula Pesto
plus ways to use it
Sometimes I can’t believe that I have to decide what’s for dinner, every night, for the rest of my life. This has only been exacerbated by my new family member who has to eat dinner at the early bird hour of 5:30. In my past life I used to not even think about what to cook for dinner until well after then, but now I better have something cooking or ready to be warmed up or some other plan before the sun goes down. That something is hopefully well-balanced and nutritious, and most importantly something I actually want to eat.
Most days at around 4:30 I come to the realization that it’s time, again, to decide what’s for dinner. I do a mental inventory of what’s in the fridge, pantry or freezer. Sometimes I’ve planned ahead (thank you past me) but most of the time I am flying fast and loose. Try as I might, I can’t bring myself to sit down and meal plan or any of the other things I could do to make the whole process easier. I do try to keep a quick cooking protein or two on hand along with some veggies and a carby something like beans, rice or pasta that can be combined in a number of ways.
I have also started prepping sauces to have on hand that can turn boring roasted protein and veggies or pasta or whatever into something a little more exciting. Pesto is a great sauce to have around. It’s no cook, flexible, lasts all week in the fridge, and is packed with flavor.
Pesto Genovese is the one you’re probably most familiar with. It’s made from basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil, but you can pesto (verb) just about any vegetable or herb - kale, broccoli, carrot tops, mint, sun-dried tomatoes…you get the idea. By pesto I mean pound or crush (or chop) it up into tiny pieces along with garlic, hard cheese, nuts, and oil.
It’s not quite basil season here, so I opted to use arugula as the base of this pesto. It is plentiful at just about every grocery store, and an economical choice too. There is a little basil in there too for flavor along with umami rich parmesan (I used cheap domestic stuff and it was fine!), toasty nuts (whatever you have around will probably work), and both lemon zest and juice for brightness (don’t skip it). Of course you can sauce pasta with pesto the recipe for the above broccoli pasta is below, but the mild and bright flavor of this pesto can do so much more.
Ways to use your Pesto
Toss it with pasta (recipe below)
Add a big spoonful to yogurt for a tasty dip for chips and crudite
Top any grilled or roasted protein or veggies with a big dollop
Use it as a sandwich spread, with or without a little mayo
Slice a baguette lengthwise and put it on a baking sheet, spread softened butter over the cut sides, then spread with pesto. Bake at 350 until golden at the edges and toasty
Top a grain and veggie bowl
Stir a spoonful into a pot of cooked rice or grains, add a jammy egg or two, and you’ve got dinner
How do you make dinner more interesting on a week night?
