Artichoke & Pine Nut Pesto
A simple pasta that is quick to throw together, yet is bursting with a ton of flavor from the marinated artichokes. Or, forget the pasta and spread this warm pesto (without the reserved pasta water) over crunchy baguettes slices for a great tasting appy!
Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over med-high heat. Once they start to brown, shake the pan frequently until all sides are golden. Toasting brings out their aromatic oils, making them so much more flavorful.
Using the reserved pasta water does two things – thins out the pesto into a more sauce-like consistency, as well it helps to thicken the sauce due to the starch that was cooked out of the pasta. Use as much of the water as you’d like, until you get the consistency you want.
Artichoke & Pine Nut Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup marinated artichokes drained & quartered
- 2 Tbsp pine nuts toasted
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 1 Tbsp fresh tarragon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
- Boil pasta of your choice, and cook to al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining..
- Add pine nuts and remaining ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you get the consistency you want. Use as little or as much olive oil as you like - adding the reserved pasta water will thin the pesto out into a sauce (if you don't use as much oil in the pesto, you may need to add more water).
- Place pasta into a large skillet, and add pesto. Stir in enough pasta water until mixture loosens and a sauce is created. Gently heat until warmed throughout.
Notes
- For Dairy-Free: replace parmesan with an equal amount of cooked quinoa. Stir in the quinoa after you've processed the rest of the ingredients, or you can pulse it a few times if you like in the food processor - whatever texture you like. The quinoa will add the volume to the pesto, then all you need to add is a bit more seasonings to replace the flavor lost from the cheese.
Looks delicious. I never thought of using artichokes before. great idea 🙂
I cook for a granddaughter, who is allergic to almonds, lettuce, eggs, dairy and is also allergic to gluten. It is really a challenge to come up with any recipes that are tasty and appealing. Do you have any recipes for entree’s and desserts that might possibly work??
We have a new tool you can use to customize the recipes you see on our site. Once you log in, go into the ‘My Account’ tab, then under ‘Do Something’, click on ‘My Preferences’. You can check off boxes for egg free, nut free – or any ingredients (allergens) you don’t want in recipes. Then hit save. Now only recipes that we have identified with those labels will appear. That should help narrow down your recipe choices when you search through our recipes under Main Courses and Desserts!