STORE-BOUGHT Pesto: Say Hello to Your New Best Friend!
I was reading REAL SIMPLE (thank you Martha Stewart) recently and came away with new motivation for ways to use my opened bottle of pesto that’s been lingering in the fridge for a couple weeks. Martha’s pesto perspective sounded encouraging:
“Unlike some condiments that are packed with sugar (think ketchup) or loaded with sodium (sorry, soy sauce), pesto is relatively healthy. In its purest form, traditional pesto is a combination of fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese, olive oil, and salt. Given that it's packed with a majority of healthy fats from plants and nuts, pesto can have heart health benefits.
“Additionally, its high basil, olive oil, and nut content also means it's loaded with antioxidants, which can safeguard your cells from oxidative damage. This can lead to healthier skin, a reduction in inflammation, and more. And while some store-bought pesto sauces may be heavy on the oil and cheese, even most of those varieties are healthier than you think.”
So there you go. Pesto is a good thing to have on hand! Senior food editor for REAL SIMPLE, Samantha Leffler, suggested we seriously consider these combinations and uses for our leftover pesto:
TUNA SANDWICH FILLING. Just combine a little pesto into your mayonnaise before adding your tuna and chopped dill pickle. This is a surprising and yummy flavor combination.
CHICKEN SANDWICH FILLING. Mix pesto into some chopped or shredded chicken along with other favorite ingredients (onion, chopped celery, finely diced bell pepper) and spread this over flatbread or stuff into pita pockets. Satisfying!
SALAD DRESSING. I thin it down with a smidge of water and pour it over my salad. It’s especially tasty when drained garbanzo beans are part of the ingredients.
PIZZA. As pesto fans may know, the savory green condiment works well on just about any pizza, but it really steals the spotlight when the pizza is a deep-dish version. Eliminate the tomato sauce and your pesto is able to compliment all the toppings. From sausage, thinly sliced tomatoes, drained artichoke hearts, and shredded provolone cheese—or whatever you prefer—it’ll all sparkle.
SOUP. We all know what a dollop of pesto can do for tomato soup. But have you tried it with other veggies? Here’s a soup that’s filled to the brim with veggie goodness — zucchini, peas, carrots, and celery. Broth-based vegetable soup can sometimes feel a bit “meh,” but this one is far from it, but the addition of zesty pesto and Parmigianno-Reggiano cheese at serving time really ramps up the flavor.
That little jar of pesto lounging in your fridge? Say hello to your new best friend!
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small yellow onions chopped
2 carrots cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 stalks celery cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2/3 cup orzo pasta
1 small zucchini cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup store-bought pesto (homemade is always good, too)
4 to 6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (for grating over soup)
Directions:
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“Unlike some condiments that are packed with sugar (think ketchup) or loaded with sodium (sorry, soy sauce), pesto is relatively healthy. In its purest form, traditional pesto is a combination of fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese, olive oil, and salt. Given that it's packed with a majority of healthy fats from plants and nuts, pesto can have heart health benefits.
“Additionally, its high basil, olive oil, and nut content also means it's loaded with antioxidants, which can safeguard your cells from oxidative damage. This can lead to healthier skin, a reduction in inflammation, and more. And while some store-bought pesto sauces may be heavy on the oil and cheese, even most of those varieties are healthier than you think.”
So there you go. Pesto is a good thing to have on hand! Senior food editor for REAL SIMPLE, Samantha Leffler, suggested we seriously consider these combinations and uses for our leftover pesto:
TUNA SANDWICH FILLING. Just combine a little pesto into your mayonnaise before adding your tuna and chopped dill pickle. This is a surprising and yummy flavor combination.
CHICKEN SANDWICH FILLING. Mix pesto into some chopped or shredded chicken along with other favorite ingredients (onion, chopped celery, finely diced bell pepper) and spread this over flatbread or stuff into pita pockets. Satisfying!
SALAD DRESSING. I thin it down with a smidge of water and pour it over my salad. It’s especially tasty when drained garbanzo beans are part of the ingredients.
PIZZA. As pesto fans may know, the savory green condiment works well on just about any pizza, but it really steals the spotlight when the pizza is a deep-dish version. Eliminate the tomato sauce and your pesto is able to compliment all the toppings. From sausage, thinly sliced tomatoes, drained artichoke hearts, and shredded provolone cheese—or whatever you prefer—it’ll all sparkle.
SOUP. We all know what a dollop of pesto can do for tomato soup. But have you tried it with other veggies? Here’s a soup that’s filled to the brim with veggie goodness — zucchini, peas, carrots, and celery. Broth-based vegetable soup can sometimes feel a bit “meh,” but this one is far from it, but the addition of zesty pesto and Parmigianno-Reggiano cheese at serving time really ramps up the flavor.
That little jar of pesto lounging in your fridge? Say hello to your new best friend!
Vegetable Soup With Pesto
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small yellow onions chopped
2 carrots cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 stalks celery cut into ¼-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
2/3 cup orzo pasta
1 small zucchini cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup store-bought pesto (homemade is always good, too)
4 to 6 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (for grating over soup)
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and translucent and the vegetables are partially cooked, about 10 minutes. Do not brown; lower the heat if necessary. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes more.
Add the chicken broth, salt, pepper and bay leaves and bring to a gentle boil. Add the orzo, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and frozen peas. Adjust the heat to bring back to a simmer and cook until the orzo is al dente and the vegetables are all tender-crisp, about 2 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (keep in mind that the soup will taste a bit bland before the pesto and Parmigiano-Reggiano are added).
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a heaping tablespoon of pesto and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pass more pesto and cheese at the table.
Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. (The orzo make soak up much of the broth while in the freezer; if necessary, thin the soup out with a bit of water or broth while reheating.)
Add the chicken broth, salt, pepper and bay leaves and bring to a gentle boil. Add the orzo, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and frozen peas. Adjust the heat to bring back to a simmer and cook until the orzo is al dente and the vegetables are all tender-crisp, about 2 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (keep in mind that the soup will taste a bit bland before the pesto and Parmigiano-Reggiano are added).
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with a heaping tablespoon of pesto and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pass more pesto and cheese at the table.
Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the refrigerator for 12 hours and then reheat it on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. (The orzo make soak up much of the broth while in the freezer; if necessary, thin the soup out with a bit of water or broth while reheating.)
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
Sources:
- www.today.com
- www.sallysbakingaddiction.com
- www.lovelydelites.com
- www.pinterest.com
- www.onceuponachef.com
