Feel Freda Talk

We made fresh pesto using the basil plant I had gotten from Trader Joe’s last week and oh my goodness was it delicious!!!

Although my basil plant is now bare, it was definitely worth it. I did a quick Google search for fresh basil pesto and found an 8 ingredient, 5 minute recipe (although next time, I think we need to double it). It made enough pesto for half a box of pasta.

Since I can’t eat mozzarella cheese, we left that out of the ricotta mixture.

Pesto Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 garlic clove
• pinch of salt
• pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Baked Ziti Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound/box pasta of your choice
• 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup mozzarella or parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Boil water on the stove for the pasta to cook.
2. While the water is heating up, toast pine nuts in oven for 5-10 minutes at 350º F, or until lightly golden brown.
3. Once the water is boiling, add your pasta and cook about 8 minutes.
4. In a food processor, combine the pine nuts, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper, and pulse until combined.
5. Add the basil and pulse again.
6. While the food processor is running, add the olive oil slowly to combine. You may need more or less than 1/2 cup, depending on the consistency you’d like. More olive oil means a smoother consistency.
7. Add the parmesan cheese at the very end and pulse to combine.
8. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta and whatever cheese you’re using (mozzarella is common, but we use parmesan). Combine the ricotta mixture with the pesto and mix well.
9. Add the cooked pasta to the bowl with the pesto/ricotta mixture and mix until pasta is fully coated.
10. Add the pasta to a greased 9×9 casserole dish, top with more cheese (optional), drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 350º for about 15-20 minutes, or until top is browned.
11. Optional step: top individual servings with fresh lemon zest and a sprinkle of fresh basil and serve with garlic bread.