But, there's one easy way to get rid of basil- make some pesto! We make a lot of pesto and use it on pizza (instead of red sauce), chicken and shrimp.We even make extra and freeze it, so we can enjoy the taste of summertime in the dead of winter. But one of our favorite things to do with pesto is to make our famous pesto, sundried tomato and goat cheese pasta salad. If you know any of the members of the Wisconsin Test Kitchen, there's a good chance you've tried this salad in the past five years. It's in heavy rotation in summertime.
The great thing about this dish is that it's super versatile; you can add grilled chicken or shrimp for meat lovers, and you can omit the goat cheese for vegans (and find a vegan pesto recipe- or omit the Parmesan cheese). See? We told you it was versatile!
First things first: you need to learn to make pesto. The Wisconsin Test Kitchen has been making pesto for so long, we don't even follow a recipe anymore. But here's an easy one to get you started:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/basil-pesto-recipe2.html
Once you've mastered pesto, you're ready to make pasta salad!
Basil Pesto Pasta Salad
1 box penne pasta
2-3 cups fresh pesto
5-6oz. crumbled feta or goat cheese
1 jar sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
Cook pasta according to package directions. Once cooked, rinse with cold water.
Drain sun dried tomatoes, and dice them roughly.
Combine pasta, tomatoes and pesto in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Let sit in the refrigerator at least two hours before serving (note: before serving you might need to add a dab of olive oil if the salad seems dry).
Sprinkle cheese over the pasta immediately before serving.
This is a great recipe to make on a hot day if you don't want to turn the oven on. It works as a complete meal, but also works well as a side dish for a cookout. Again, we told you- it's versatile!
We hope you enjoy this summer dish as much as we do!
Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew
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