May 2, 2013

Watercress Pesto Recipe

 photo watercress-pesto.jpg
Watercress Pesto
I make a lot of pesto in my household. Especially in the spring there is something very comforting about a big plate of pasta with a pesto made from greens. Even my two picky boys can agree that pasta is delicious and will eat it happily. Since basil pesto can get boring I love switching up the pesto that I make with various spring greens. Last month I even tried a delicious asparagus pesto, which turned out perfectly. My husband is a big fan of greens that have more of a bite, while my kids would be happy eating basil pesto frequently. This week I tried a new recipe for Watercress Pesto from Martha Stewart Living.

This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, 20 minutes of which is active and makes 4 servings. I only made a few changes to the original recipe. First I made two versions, one gluten free and one with regular pasta. I did not use whole wheat spaghetti for the regular pasta, my family will not eat it (and I have tried I promise - every brand and they still hate it). To toast the pine nuts I used a skillet on the stove, very easy just make sure to watch them and they should only take a couple of minutes. Make sure to adequately salt the pesto, it will need a fair amount.

My husband and I thought this pesto was good. I would suggest adding more garlic, I like my pesto pretty garlicky tasting. I also would add a fair amount of crushed red pepper. It can be a little bland without it. The addition of cheese would also be nice, Romano would work nicely with the flavors.

For the recipe go to Watercress Pesto.

12 comments:

  1. That looks like a perfect summer evening meal. Sounds sooooo good!

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    1. It's nice and light, so it would be great for summer!

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  2. Oh, now this is a unique sounding recipe. I think it would be the perfect side at one of our many cookouts.

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    1. It would make a nice side, especially with something heavier like burgers.

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  3. ooh looks so wonderful- I just read that watercress is really good nutritioun-wise too!

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    Replies
    1. Watercress is great for you and has a bunch of uses!

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  4. This is such an interesting variation. I am intrigued to see all the different greens which can be used in pesto.

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    1. Pesto has a ton of variations, which is part of the reason I love it :)

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  5. G'day! Can't go wrong with a Martha recipe, TRUE!
    Love your photo too! :)
    I have a Martha "related" nickname that I will be sharing/revealing in a future post too!
    Cheers! Joanne
    What's On The List?
    http://www.whatsonthelist.net

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    1. Thanks :) I agree, Martha recipes are great!

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  6. Perfect summer plate! Love pesto. I agree about whole wheat pasta - hate it.

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