Pesto traditionally uses expensive ingredients like Pine Nuts and Parmazan cheese, which if you're like me, you don't tend to stock everyday. So, here is a nice and easy variation on this, that won't cost the earth and with ingredients you're bound to have at home.
1 Courgette, sliced into long strips
300g Dried Pasta Shapes (any variety)
Pesto Sauce:
1 small handfull of Basil
1 small handfull of Mint
1 small handfull of Baby Spinage Leaves
1 small handfull of Rocket Leaves
2 Garlic Cloves, grated
120g Nuts - peanuts, brazil nuts, etc...
100g Feta Cheese
150ml Olive Oil
1/2 Lemon
For this recipe, start by cooking the pasta of your choice in sligthly salted water in a pan and cook as instructed on the packet.
While the pasta is cooking, in a small blender add the herbs, salad leaves, grated garlic, selection of nuts and lemon juice and blitz until roughly chopped. Add half of the oil gradually to the mixture and blitz to a paste, then add the rest of the oil. This can then be put into the fridge till needed.
Heat a griddle and cook the courgette strips, which have been cut into slices with a potato peeler, for a couple of minutes on each side until they browned off. Once cooked place on some kitchen towel cool down.
Once cooked drain the pasta and place in a bowl. Pour the pesto sauce over the pasta and crumble over the feta cheese. Mix together, move to a serving bowl, place the courgette over and add more cheese, oil and lemon as needed
The pesto sauce can be kept in a container and stored in the fridge for up to a couple of weeks if needed.
