Meatless Friday: Mushroom Pesto

Karen Ullo shares a flavor-packed twist on a Meatless Friday standby. Download our printable recipe card!

I like to experiment with new sauces and ways of serving old favorites. This is also a sneaky way to get the kids to eat their vegetables, since they’re puréed into the sauce.

Mushroom Pesto

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. your favorite varieties of mushrooms
3 cloves garlic, chopped
~ 15 spears of asparagus with the tough ends removed, chopped
½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
½ cup pine nuts
2 tbs. olive oil for cooking
¼ – ½ cup extra virgin olive oil for blending
Salt to taste

Directions:

In a large pan, heat the oil, then sauté the mushrooms and garlic with salt until the mushrooms begin to brown and release their liquid. Drain and remove from pan.

Add all of the ingredients to a blender with more salt as desired, then purée into a paste. Serve over your favorite pasta, fish, or whatever your heart desires.

If you need to heat the pesto, just stick it in the microwave for 30 seconds or less, depending on portion size, but unless you make it ahead and refrigerate it, the heat from the pasta should be enough to bring it to temperature.

Enjoy!