Parsley Pesto Pasta

I'm going to do some "make-up" blogs to account for all the meals I meant to document over the last couple months and well...didn't. I'm starting with an easy one (leaving this as the final post of the night) based on a recipe from Budget Bytes. We recall finding this recipe simple to make, but were not overly thrilled with the flavors. I believe we later adapted it to include basil, thus balancing out the parsley flavor a bit more. I also think this recipe is what convinced us to add a parsley plant to our herb collection!








Parsley Pesto (adapted and halved from Budget Bytes; serves 2)
1/2 lb fettuccini
a bunch of parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tbsp lemon juice
a clove of garlic
~1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Get pasta cooking based on package instructions. Make pesto while pasta cooks.

Rinse and pluck parsley leaves. Place in a food processor with garlic (peeled), Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. Pulse until there are no longer large garlic chunks. Slowly add olive oil while continuing to pulse mixture. Scrape down sides and continue pulsing. Taste and begin to add pinches of salt until you reach your desired preference. It's okay to get it on the saltier side since it will spread over the fettuccini.

When pesto is ready and pasta is done cooking, FIRST reserve about a half cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Drain pasta, let it cool, then return it to the pot. Add the pesto and stir it up. If it gets sticky, add the pasta cooking water to help loosen it back up. Enjoy!

Recipe: Budget Bytes: Parsley Pesto Pasta