Healthy Baked Pesto Pasta

Summer is coming to an end but it sure doesn’t feel like it. My basil is almost done for the year so I grabbed the rest off the plants and tried to figure out something different to do with it.

I found a recipe for a healthier pesto recipe that used Kale, Spinach, and Basil instead of just Basil.

I mixed it all together with some tomatoes and pasta and then covered it with foil and baked it in the oven with parmesan on top.

I actually liked it. But I like sSpinach and Kale. Andy gave it a thumbs down.

Because Kale.

I caught him eating bites of what I made for the kids….

Recipe below

for the pasta:

• 1 lb. whole wheat rigatoni
• 2–3 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice (I used Asiago)
• pesto (recipe follows)

for the pesto:

• 2 cups spinach
• 1 cup kale
• 1 cup basil
• 3/4 cup almonds or pine nuts
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large cloves garlic
• juice of 1 lemon (optional)

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. While the water is boiling, chop up the tomatoes – I just cut the little ones in half. Add the pasta to the water and cook according to package directions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, place all the pesto ingredients in the food processor until smooth. You may have to push the spinach down periodically to get everything moving. I had to do this in two batches because my food processor is very small. You should end up with 2 heaping cups of pesto.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the cooked noodles with the chopped tomatoes, pesto, and enough water to make it a little saucy. Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover loosely with well-oiled aluminum foil and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.