Quick and Easy Pesto Salad with Green Beans and Tomatoes

I love anything made out of pesto. It’s my favorite thing to have around and use in a pinch. Since it has all the yummy ingredients I would normally cook with, it’s easy to add a dollop of  it on anything. My favorite way of eating pesto is making a shrimp pasta with lots of pesto and more fresh basil on top. Shrimp and pesto are a match made in heaven- really, you should try it. I always have shrimp in the freezer- and on days when I am all out of ideas and don’t have a lot of time to cook- the pesto and shrimp come out. A nice salad on the side and some garlic bread with a yummy bottle of red- what else do you want??

Last summer I tried making a big batch of pesto to freeze for the winter- but it was a disaster. I harvested the basil too late which made it extremely bitter. All my hard work went down the drain- I was not happy. I was off making pesto for a while and yes I was buying it from the store. The store bought versions are actually quite good. For people who are working all day and don’t have time to make their own pesto- store bought is a great option- I would highly recommend it. Having a container of pesto in the fridge is very handy- it makes a great condiment for sandwiches; a big dollop on a piece of fish with a salad is a great lunch; meatballs with pesto are delicious and easy; pasta with mushrooms and pesto is out of this world- this list goes on and on.

We were going out for dinner and I wanted to eat a light lunch at home. There was nothing made in the fridge and I decided to go outside to harvest my yummy looking tomatoes. While out there, I noticed the basil plants thriving. I decided to bring some inside and make a pesto- a small quantity, just enough for the meal. I cut the tomatoes in half and remembered the green beans in the crisper. I blanched and added them to the mix. I had frozen fresh pasta which I decided to use. The whole thing came together in just a few minutes. The pesto was absolutely delicious and so was the salad. There were a few pieces of leftover chicken from a restaurant which worked out very nicely with this dish. 

I think this would be a great accompaniment to any barbecue or nice just by itself for a light lunch. Grilled shirmp or chicken would taste delicious in this dish as well- again sky is the limit- enjoy!

• ½ cup prepared basil pesto-recipe below
• ½ pound cooked pasta, al dente
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 cup green beans, ends trimmed
• Salt

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add salt and green beans. Blanch for a minute and take the beans out and transfer into a bowl of cold water (for them to retain the green color). Keep aside.
In a medium serving bowl add the cooked pasta, tomatoes, green beans and pesto. Mix well, check for seasonings and serve.

Basil Pesto

• 2 cups fresh basil
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt

In a food processor, add the garlic and pine nuts. Process till smooth. Add the fresh basil and while the processor is on, drizzle the olive oil slowly till the consistency is smooth and wet. Take out in a bowl and add the cheese, lemon juice and salt. Store in the fridge.