This is a quick and easy dinner that can be served hot or cold. You can also take advantage of the abundance of fresh, cheap basil in the summer and make small quantities of pesto to freeze and use all winter long!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 2-3 big handfuls of fresh basil leaves (washed)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 small handful of pine nuts (can substitute walnuts or choose to not use nuts)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1/3 cup Parmesan Cheese
• 1/3 cup Romano Cheese (or just double the amount of Parmesan used)
• 1 box (1 lb) of Rotini or Gemelli Pasta

Directions

Note: If you have a Cuisinart it is easiest to do all of the chopping in that. If not, chopping can be done by hand and the mixture can be made in a medium sized bowl!

1. Boil a pot of water and cook pasta
2. Fill bowl of Cuisinart with basil leaves and chop.
3. Add in 1/4 cup of olive oil
4. Add pine nuts and garlic to Cuisinart and chop
5. Add both cheeses to mixture
6. Add the rest of the Olive Oil
7. After straining cooked pasta, put in a large bowl and mix the pesto sauce into the pasta
8. You can add chicken or other veggies to the pasta for more variety

If you want to freeze pesto sauce for later, skip step #1 and stop after #3. Put the mixture (just chopped basil with olive oil) in a small container, plastic bag or ice cube tray and save for later. When you are ready to eat, thaw and continue with the directions.