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Pesto Pasta: A Camp Favorite

Serve up this complex (yet extremely easy) pasta dish featuring fresh pesto: in the silence you will be able to hear your companions’ jaws drop. Bonus points if you have a little red wine ready in DeltaLight Tumblers to accompany the meal. Just don’t tell them how easy it was to make…

Homemade Pesto

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts
½ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup olive oil
Pepper
Salt

Directions:

Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor except the olive oil (which you will transport separately in a leak-proof bottle). The dry pesto mix can be transported in an X-Seal & Go, size Medium or Large. Reconstitute by adding the olive oil once you have set up camp.

Pesto Pasta:

Ingredients:

2 cups pasta (cavatappi or penne)
1 6-8 oz jar of pesto or 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 cloves garlic minced, 2/3 oz basil chopped
2 oz parmesan cheese
6-8 oz chicken or 13.4 oz Tetra Pak cannellini beans rinsed
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
2 cups fresh spinach (transport in an X-Seal & Go with a damp paper towel)

Directions:

Cut and sauté cherry tomatoes and set aside in an X-Bowl

In an X-Pot, Alpha Pot or Sigma Pot, cook the pasta. Add the chicken or rinsed cannellini beans to the pasta while still cooking, and stir to warm through.

Strain off the excess water leaving a little moisture. Toss wet pasta, cherry tomatoes, and spinach, and stir, cooking to wilt the vegetables. Add the pesto or oil, garlic and basil blend, and top with parmesan.

‘Excess’ pesto can be added to breakfast omelets or to lunchtime bagels-with-cheese.
‘Excess’ beans can be used to make a salad for lunch the following day.

If you’re looking for more variety, you can add other veggies to the pasta – mushrooms and/or onions make excellent additions.