Whole Wheat Pasta With Pumpkin Seed And Spinach Pesto Recipes

WHOLE-WHEAT PASTA WITH PUMPKIN-SEED AND SPINACH PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, combine toasted pumpkin seeds, parsley, chives, oil, garlic, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, the lemon zest, and 1 cup baby spinach in a food processor. Season with pepper, and pulse until well combined.
• Toss pasta with pesto mixture. Add reserved cooking liquid, and mix until pasta is well coated. Fold in remaining 1 1/2 cups baby spinach. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Divide among 6 bowls. Top each with a dollop of ricotta, and season with pepper. Serve with tomato wedges if desired.

SPINACH PESTO WITH WHOLE-WHEAT PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water; place a colander inside, resting in ice.
• In batches, stir spinach into boilingwater. Cook until wilted and brightgreen, about 30 seconds. Transfer spinachto the colander (in the ice bath)to stop cooking. Reserve boiling water.Cool completely in ice bath, then liftcolander; squeeze spinach dry.
• Cook pasta in reserved boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. Save 1/2 cup pasta water; immediately drain pasta, and return to pot.
• Meanwhile, place spinach, Parmesan, walnuts, garlic, and lemon zest and juice in a food processor. Process until a coarse paste forms. With motor running, add oil and 1/4 cup plain water; process until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add tomatoes and pesto to pasta; toss, adding reserved pasta water to coat pasta, if necessary. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, as needed. Serve with additional Parmesan, if desired.

PASTA WITH PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to a boil. Drop the garlic cloves into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds to temper their sharpness. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cloves to a food processor or blender.
• Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente.
• While the pasta cooks, add the pumpkin seeds and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the garlic, and process until very finely ground. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the basil. Scoop 1/4 cup water from the saucepan with the boiling pasta and pour over the basil. Process the basil until ground to a paste. Add the Parmesan and oil, and pulse just until incorporated. Taste the pesto and season with enough salt and pepper to make it punchy.
• Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water until room temperature. Shake dry, then return to the saucepan, and add the pesto and tomatoes, if using. Stir well until everything is evenly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among dishes to serve right away or airtight containers to pack for lunch. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and Parmesan, and serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.