This recipe was also born pre-quarantine but luckily I fell in love with it; it is the perfect thing to make on repeat. It started when my friend Irina texted a picture of her dinner to our group chat, and, having arrived home only moments ago, I realized I had everything I needed in my kitchen for pantry pesto and a delicious easy zucchini pasta. 

 

First things first: pantry pesto. If there are a few recipes to get under your belt in terms of cooking, I would say one of them is making a pesto. Pestos and sauces are so versatile they bring a ho-hum meal to a delicious, cravable occasion. You can start by picking an herb or a green (or even a veggie) you have in the fridge and pairing it with a nut or seed you think it would go well with in the pantry. Some of my favorites are basil and pepitas, kale and sunflower seeds, and spinach and pistachio. 

 

Here is my basic formula for pantry pesto recipe:

  • ¼ cup nuts or seeds
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic (optional) 
  • 1 cup herbs or greens 
  • ½ cup olive oil 
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or acid)
  • Pinch of sea salt (to taste) 

This is really where a pantry pasta begins – but you can pump it up with a few other items you may have on hand: 

 

  • Pecorino or nutritional yeast, added to pesto or sprinkled on top 
  • Green olives, chopped and added to finished pasta
  • Anchovies, added to pesto and pasta sauces
  • GF breadcrumbs, toasted and finished on top 
  • White beans or chickpeas, tossed in with a brothy pasta 
  • Canned tomatoes, simmered down into a sauce with pesto stirred in
  • Frozen peas, boiled with the pasta in the last minutes of cooking
  • Pan-fried veggies, tossed with pasta and sauce or pesto 

 

Back to this #pantrypasta, I opted to make my super seed pesto because I had all the ingredients on hand (although I was short on basil, so I ended up using half arugula). Taste your pesto – adjust it and add a little more lemon or salt as needed. It should be salty and delicious. I also absolutely love adding in pan-fried zucchini for a well-rounded pantry meal. 

 

Hope this brings a little bit of comfort to your meals this week and helps you cook with what you’ve got! And, for a little more inspo, here are a few other pantry recipes I’ve made, or planning to make over the course of the next few weeks: Linguine with Green Olive Sauce and Zesty Breadcrumbs, Bucatini with Butter Roasted Tomato Sauce, and Pasta e Ceci (Italian Pasta and Chickpea Stew). 

 

Now for the recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 2
  • ½ box pasta of choice, I like Tolerant Lentil Pasta 
  • 1 zucchini, sliced 
  • Olive oil 
  • Sea salt 
  • Lemon zest

 

Super Seed Pesto 

  • 3 tablespoons pepitas, toasted
  • 1 tablespoon hemp hearts, toasted 
  • 2 cloves of fresh garlic 
  • 1 cup of mixed basil and arugula
  • ½ cup olive oil 
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice (or acid)
  • Pinch of sea salt (to taste) 
Method

Cook pasta according to directions in a large pot of salted water. While pasta is cooking, prep the pesto. 

 

Using a food processor or good blender, blend your nuts, garlic, and greens together. Once blended, pour in the olive oil. Add lemon and salt, blend. Taste and adjust as needed (I usually add a pinch more salt!) Set aside. 

 

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, and wait until shimmering. Add zucchini in one layer, with a pinch of salt, and let sizzle for a couple minutes or until browned. Flip and cook 1 – 2 more minutes. (Nini’s hack is cooking the zucchini on a parchment lined baking sheet and baking for 20 min – I like both methods).

 

Once the pasta is cooked, rinse and drain and add to the nonstick pan. Add in a dollop or two of pesto and toss until pasta and zucchini are well-coated. Divide between two bowls, top with a bit of lemon zest and a pinch of flaky salt, if you have it. Enjoy! 

 

P.S. This pesto is also delicious on veggies, salads, bowls, and meats. It also freezes perfectly.