Yeah, it happens.
Luckily so did this pesto. An abundance of arugula got whipped up into this delicious pesto- which extended its life a bit and allowed me to use it as the base for a few more meals! This is a trick I'll have to remember :)
Some of this pesto was used as a sauce for some homemade whole wheat pizza dough, and got topped with grilled veggies and fresh mozzerella. The rest got turned into the pasta dish below- both were fantastic! Check out Nosh On.It for other clever ways to use this pesto!
Broccoli Arugula Pesto
inspired by My Darling Lemon Thyme
yield ~4c
Feel free to scale back, or adjust the ingredients based on what you have on hand.
3 heads broccoli, cut into florets
6T cooking water
3-4c arugula (I bet other greens would work well here too)
2 small cloves of garlic
1/4c shredded cheese (could try nutritional yeast if you want to keep it vegan)
1/2c pumpkin seeds (or other nut)
~1/4c extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add a sprinkle of kosher salt and add broccoli. Cook broccoli florets for 3-4 min. Reserve ~1/2c cooking water and then plunge broccoli florets into a bowl of ice cold water. Drain the broccoli and add to a blender or food processor.
Add cooking water, arugula, garlic, cheese and pumpkin seeds. Blend, while drizzling in olive oil until you reach your desired consistency (I used about 1/4c). Store in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze.
Broccoli Arugula Pesto Noodles with Shrimp and Goat Cheese
recipe by Shannon
Serves 4
1 pkg soba noodles (mine was 8.8oz)
1-1 1/2c broccoli arugula pesto
4oz goat cheese
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1lb uncooked frozen shrimp
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water, then add the soba noodles. Cook pasta until al dente, adding in the frozen shrimp for the last 3 minutes of the cooking time. My total cooking time was ~8min. Reserve a bit of cooking water before you drain the pasta and shrimp.
[Whether or not you separate the shrimp from the pasta is completely up to you. I did for picture and portioning purposes, but there's really no need.]
Add pasta back to the pot and add pesto and a few tablespoons of cooking water. Mix until noodles are well coated, adding more cooking water if it looks dry. Top noodles with goat cheese, tomatoes and shrimp.
Do you have a go-to use for food that's on it's last legs?
7 comments:
I usually stir fry everything ;) Pesto was a great use for the arugula. Such a great color
love the idea of using this as pizza sauce!
I like the addition of broccoli! I did the same (make pesto) recently with odd ends of garlic scapes, basil, almonds, and parmesan. It really is so versatile!
If only the.boy liked pesto AT ALL I would turn probably any and every leftover veggie into it. This sounds fabulous!
What an unusual pesto! It looks really fresh and delicious!
this sounds like an awesome way to use up those greens.
So, the other day I made BEET pesto. with pistachios. it was phenom, you must try it
Oh yes, pesto is my answer to an over abundance of herbs and leafy greens alike. I wouldn't have thought of working broccoli into the mix though- Brilliant save! To extend the shelf life further, I usually freeze my pesto in ice cube molds for future use. Nothing goes to waste around here!
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