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September 13, 2011 Food

10 Minute Dinner: Pesto Primavera Recipe

10 Minute Dinner: Pesto Primavera.  An Italian Recipe you'll want to keep.  Pick your favorite pasta and veggies and you'll wow any crowd!

Wanna know what you can make in just 10 minutes? With ingredients mostly from you pantry? Pesto Primavera!

Most of you know by now that I really like to cook. I like to find recipes with obscure ingredients and spend time in the kitchen preparing these dishes for my family to enjoy. I host a lot of family dinners, playdates for friends, and gatherings for everyone. It’s unusual for me to make the same thing twice. I have way too much fun trying new recipes I find in magazines.

That is, unless it’s my go-to dish. The dish that I ALWAYS have ingredients for. The dish that despite the fact that it’s the easiest thing in the world to prepare and is assembled from 100% pantry items, I get the most compliments on and the most requests for the recipe. It only makes me slightly bitter, but I’m still glad to share my recipe for Pantry Pesto Pasta with y’all.

Pantry Pesto Pasta

Basic:
– 12 to 16 oz. pasta cooked until just firm (usually about 1-2 min. shy of the regular cooking time). I like to use dried tortellini or ravioli, but anything will work. Cook the pasta and then drain in a colander. If you are serving the dish as a pasta salad, rinse with cold water.

– 2 packages of McCormick Pesto Mix– Combine the two packages of pesto, 3/4 cup water, 6 tablespoons olive oil and cook over low heat until warm.

Optional:
– Vegetables: I like to use Birds Eye Peas with Pearl Onions or the Steam Fresh veggies. Cook according to package directions and add to colander to drain extra liquid along with the pasta. You can also use sauteed fresh veggies or cooked leftover vegetables.

– Beans: I like to toss in a can of cannellini beans or garbanzo beans. Empty the can of beans into the colander along with the veggies and pasta to drain extra liquid.

– Meats: Add any leftover cooked chicken, shrimp, or my favorite… diced smoked sausage.

– Cheese: I like to toss in a few handfuls of feta or parmesan.

Toss pasta, veggies, beans, meats, cheese and sauce in a large bowl. Leftovers can be eaten warm or cold!

My secret for easy playdates is now out…

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Categories: Food

About Katie

Katie Harding has been blogging since 2010. What originally started out as a platform to discuss new parenthood, her blogging now focuses on her passion for cooking: creating recipes and sharing tips for entertaining friends and family of all ages. Outside of the kitchen you’ll find her with her family (three boys, one husband, multiple exchange student daughters, and Hank the pup), or gallivanting around the world with her fork in tow.

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Previous Post: « Mom and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Next Post: Eat Like My Toddler, a guest blog by Leslie Q. »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mila says

    February 16, 2024 at 9:26 am

    What’s with the misleading photo then? Nothing to do with your post. Which an AI can easilly provide too. What a low quality site….

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Finally - Weekly Menu Plan, Spring Collection - Mom Favorites says:
    April 7, 2013 at 9:50 pm

    […] Idea Pesto Pasta Salad, recipe from Mom Favorites Filed Under: menus, vegetarian/vegan Tagged With: family dinners, […]

    Reply
  2. Feel Good Meal Plan - Mom Favorites says:
    August 5, 2013 at 9:30 pm

    […] Pesto Pasta Salad, recipe from Mom Favorites […]

    Reply

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Welcome!

Welcome to Forks and Folly! It's time to have some fun in the kitchen. Forks and Folly is about enjoying the process of cooking and entertaining. No complicated recipes. No stress. It's back to basics with easy, make ahead food, and fabulous hosting tips.

In addition to contributions on this blog, you'll find me behind the scenes working with my favorite brands through my marketing agency b2k Media Marketing.

Have a question or want to work with me? Drop me an email anytime.

♥, Katie

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