Fresh Herbs and Pasta – A Summertime Favorite!

Fresh Herbs and Pasta - A Recipe!

This is one of my favorite summer time recipes! I love the flavor of fresh herbs and this recipe really highlights them. Use any fresh herbs you have whether from your garden, farmers market or grocery store. The fresher, the better!




I grab a dinner plate and kitchen shears then walk around the garden snipping any herbs that look like they could use a bit of pruning. I pile it all on the plate, rinse them under the faucet and tear off the leaves, fronds and flowers. Then I chop them up until I have a pile of small bits of green or color bits if you are using any flowers like borage, chives, nasturtiums, lavender or any other edible flowers.


For herbs, I use what is growing in my garden right now such as basil (5 kinds!), fennel, borage, garlic and regular chives, sage (3 kinds!), mint, rosemary, dill, cilantro, lavender and thyme. I try to use herbs that need a good pruning. If one has been pruned a little too much I skip it and move on to another overgrown herb.


This is a loose, easily adaptable recipe! Feel free to add or subtract to your taste.






Fresh Herbs and Pasta


1 12 oz package any type of smaller, thinner pasta such as spaghetti or fusilli (but not giant shells!)


2 tablespoons olive oil (or more to taste)


1 cup chopped and washed herbs


½ cup chopped walnuts (or the nut of your choice)


¼ cup Parmesan cheese (I like shaved but use your favorite)






Cook the pasta according to package directions. When finished, you may save the pasta in the frig until later. (In the summer I cook the pasta early in the morning then refrigerate it when I don’t want to heat up the kitchen more during the hottest part of the day!)


Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the herbs, walnuts and pasta stirring frequently until all is hot.


Remove skillet form burner and scoop out a serving onto a plate. Add the parmesan cheese on top.


That’s it! Yum!

Variations:


1) leave off the nuts and add chopped, cooked bacon


2) different cheese such as goat cheese or another shredded cheese


3) use a different oil such as walnut or grape seed or make your own flavored oil

4) Mix in a cup or two of vegies, your choice


Enjoy!