Pesto: Into your food processor add:
3-4 large garlic cloves
1 t. sea salt
1/4 c. pine nuts (can use walnuts) 2 cups fresh basil
1/2 c. fresh Italian parsley
Mix a little and then drizzle with olive oil until well blended (about 1/2 cup or so). Then add some Parmesan cheese about 1/4 - 1/2 cup). I usually add a ladle of pasta water to the pesto with the chosen pasta.
To this I add about 2 cups of either homemade or jarred tomato pasta sauce. We love this over whole wheat Penne pasta. And I also add a cup of green peas sometimes too. I just throw the peas into the pasta the last 1 minute of cooking time.
You can also just use the pesto by itself over pasta. If you have an abundance of basil like I do, I freeze the pesto each time I make an extra batch when I pick a bunch of basil. You know how herbs work, the more you pick the more they grow!! I also put a light layer of oil over the top of the pesto to freeze, this helps it stay green.
