Creamy Pesto Alfredo Pasta
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Pasta is definitely one of my easy go-to’s for dinner. Typically I whip out the premade meatballs and marinara or frozen cheesy tortellini, but occasionally I make a quick homemade sauce, especially when I can do the sauce in less than 10 minutes, requires no cooking, and can be thrown into the blender. And…pesto is one of those sauces.
Pesto, do you know what pesto is? It is the Italian green sauce. It is fresh herbs and spices and is typically served over pasta, but is also extremely tasty on toasted Italian bread.
Creamy Pesto Alfredo
Equipment
- blender
Ingredients
- 1 oz fresh basil leaves only
- 2-3 large garlic cloves
- ½ cup almonds
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- salt and pepper
- 8 oz pasta protein pasta like Banza
Instructions
- Begin boiling water for the pasta, add in about 1 tbsp of salt and then pour in the protein pasta. Stir occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick together.
- While the pasta is boiling, in a blender add in garlic, basil, almonds, and olive oil; blend together. Add in ½ cup of the pasta water and blend again.
- Add in the cream cheese and another ½ cup of pasta water to the blender and blend on high until smooth. Sprinkle in ¾ cup of the Parmesan cheese and blend again. Taste and then add salt and pepper if needed.
- Drain pasta and pour back into the pot, then pour the finished sauce over the pasta. Toss until combined. If you sauce is a little thin you can turn on the heat again to low and stir until the sauce thickens up a bit. Serve with the rest of the Parmesan cheese and sliced almonds.
Nutrition
While you can use typical pasta, I have been loving Banza pasta lately. It is a chickpea pasta that is filled with protein. There is 0 flour in it, which means 0 gluten. The popularity of it has really taken off. A year ago, I could only find it on Amazon and at Target. Now it’s at most grocery stores, including Costco.
The flavor of Banza barely differs from regular pasta, and since it is protein-packed, it is EXTREMELY filling. Where I can eat up to 2 cups of regular pasta (if I’m being an absolute glutton), with the Banza pasta, I max out at 3/4 of a cup…and then I am typically not hungry again until morning if I ate it for dinner.
Do you have any quick pasta sauce recipes that are on regular rotation? Or do you prefer to just crack open a jar of sauce? Hope y’all are having an amazing week, stay safe, and hug your loved ones.
