Simple Summer Supper: Rocket & Basil Pesto with Penne Pasta

Our guest writer Jessie (aka mscooksalot) has loved cooking and exploring recipes for as long as she can remember. Passionate about real food, she wants to know what’s in it and where it comes from. She believes that food is one of the greatest pleasures in life and can transform your experiences from the forgettable to the sublime. 

And this is the perfect recipe for a quick but delicious summer meal. 

This pesto recipe is super simple but sometimes it’s the simplest recipes that are the best! It will take you all of about 2 minutes to make and keeps well in the fridge for a few days. It makes the perfect start to a light and tasty dinner and is ideal for this time of year when you want something quick and easy to prepare that’s still full of flavour.

It goes well with pasta (obviously!) but is also very handy to keep on standby to jazz up some garlic bread or sandwiches, or even to dress some lightly steamed vegetables. I’ve added some rocket to give it a more peppery flavour, which I personally love, but feel free to use all basil if you prefer. You could even try using spinach instead. Either way it will taste far better than any pesto you can buy in the supermarket and will work out a lot cheaper too!

This recipe makes enough pesto for 4 people when served with pasta, but should you have any leftovers, it will happily keep in the fridge for a day or two. Just store in an airtight container with a drizzle of olive on top. You can also freeze it in a small ziplock bag - it will keep happily for a few months and of course defrosts easily for a handy dinner.

• Pesto Ingredients

30g rocket

2 sprigs fresh basil

1 clove of garlic

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

pinch of sea salt

60g parmesan

30g pine nuts

• To serve:

Pasta of your choice

Buffalo mozzarella

Handful of toasted pine nuts

• Method

Remove the basil leaves from the stalks, Peel the garlic clove and chop the parmesan into small chunks. I like a thicker, slightly chunkier texture for my pesto, but this is totally up to you. If you prefer a smooth texture, you can grate the cheese first before adding it in.

Put the basil, rocket, garlic, salt, parmesan and pine nuts into a blender or food processor. Begin blitzing, adding the olive oil in a steady stream to help the pesto come together and blend evenly.

To serve with pasta, cook the pasta of your choice according to packet instructions. Just before straining, reserve about half a cup of the starchy cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot and add the pesto, along with a splash of the cooking water and toss well. Leave it to stand for a minute to help the pasta absorb some of the sauce. Serve with some torn buffalo mozzarella and pine nuts, or however you prefer.

Most importantly, enjoy!

Are you tempted to try out this recipe? Do you have any easy-peasy recipes that never fail to impress? We’d love to hear all about them! In the meantime, check out Jessie’s blog, Ms Cooksalot, for more fab recipes!