Basil Pesto Pasta

This is the first time we tried to cook a dish from a different cuisine and it came out pretty good! We love Basil as it has got such a great aroma and fresh flavor to it.
Here is the recipe for a basic pesto pasta.

Basil Pesto
Ingredients

Fresh Basil leaves - 2 cups packed
Pine nuts - 1/3 cup
Garlic - 3 medium size cloves minced
Fresh Parmesan Reggiano - 1/2 cup grated
Extra virgin olive oil - 1/4 cup (1/2 cup as per original recipe)
Salt - a pinch
Fresh ground pepper - less than 1/4 teaspoon

Thanks to the recipe from http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/001329fresh_basil_pesto.php. We just followed the recipe from the above link "to the tee" and it came out perfect. We didn't have a food processor, so we used our regular Mixie(mixer) in the pulse mode and that worked. We felt that the amount of "extra virgin olive oil" in the recipe was a little bit extra. Since this was the first time we were trying this out, we didn't try to experiment any changes in the recipe. Next time we will mostly cut down the olive oil to 1/4 cup instead of 1/2 cup. Also keep in mind that the Parmesan reggiano cheese by itself has a salty taste to it. So taste before adding salt to the pesto.

From Amma's Tasty food Magic

Basil Pesto Pasta
Ingredients

Pasta shells (rotini/ cork screw) - 3 cups
Basil Pesto - use all the sauce from the above recipe
Olive oil - 1 teaspoon
Red pepper flakes - 1/2 teaspoon
Ground fresh pepper - 1/4 teaspoon


Based on the pasta cooking instructions on the package, take the required amount of water in a large vessel and bring it to a boil. Salt the water ( about 1/4 teaspoon) when it's boiling. Now add the pasta shells and stir occasionally. Cook the pasta till it's al dente. To check if the pasta is done, take out and piece and taste to see if it's cooked. When the pasta is done, drain the water from the pasta and keep aside. I found some good tips on how to cook pasta here

From Amma's Tasty food Magic

Heat Olive oil in a skillet. Add the freshly ground pepper and red pepper flakes.
Turn the heat to low and add the cooked pasta and the fresh basil pesto and toss it for a few minutes. Remove the skillet from heat and add freshly grated Parmesan before serving.

From Amma's Tasty food Magic

It is such a simple recipe yet perfectly delicious!

Serving size: 2