Sunny Pesto

If you’re counting every penne, you’ll love this pesto, which uses sunflower seeds instead of more costly pine nuts. We usually eat it on linguine, but if you’re feeling fancy, throw on bowtie! ; )

Dedicated to Grandma, who made me fall in love with pesto. Now I grow my own basil just for this!

Helpful tip: If you have a plethora of extra basil, go ahead and make pesto, leaving out the seeds for now, and freeze in small portions for use during the rest of the year. When ready, defrost a portion, blend with the seeds and enjoy.

Sunflower Seed “Sunny” Pesto- VegWithMandy.com

serves 2-3

First, get water boiling for:

• Pasta of your choice*; make enough for 2-3 servings

Meanwhile, place in food processor:

• 2c. Basil, fresh

• 1 clove garlic

• 1/2 -1 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh

• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4c. raw** sunflower seeds

• 3 Tbsp Olive oil*** (extra virgin is best).

Blend in Food Processor until pureed, without big seed chunks. (It won’t be perfectly smooth.)

Serve over the cooked pasta.

If needed, drizzle small amount of additional olive oil on each portion before serving.

Optional, sprinkle with:

• Nutritional yeast****

Notes: *Pasta of your choice: whole wheat -or- rice-based noodles, if gluten-free. For GF noodles, I like Tinkyada brand. Just note that any leftovers tend to stick together. 

**Raw sunflower seeds are a must; it did NOT taste good when I tried this with roasted.

***If you’re aiming for less oil, you can substitute 1/2 of a vine ripened tomato for 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. / The tomato version may not freeze as well.

****The name sounds gross, and it IS an acquired taste in my opinion, but it has a cheesy flavor, and is high in vitamin B12. B12 is one of those vitamins that is not only great for energy, but is important for mental health.