Basil Parmesan

I’m a fan of simple summer pasta dishes. They are an easy way to use up the abundance of market produce I pile onto the counter and into the fridge, and in less than 20 minutes I can almost always have a meal on the table that will please all the people in my house. From greens, peas, and zucchini to corn, beans, and tomatoes I can’t think of any summer veg that couldn’t be grilled, sautéed, steamed, and/or roasted before being tossed into a pot of olive oil-slicked pasta.

Naturally, I would suggest you add some fresh herbs as well, with basil leading my list of favourite additions by a small margin, and last week I took that thought just a little further and pulsed a small handful of basil leaves I plucked from the garden into a few chunks of Parmesan I cleaned out of the cheese basket. The result was euphoric; how is it that I haven’t thought to do this before?

I recently sprinkled this over a large bowl of rotini tossed with all the green vegetables I could find in my fridge (broccoli, green beans, peas, and kale) and the meat-loving men in my house gave it two thumbs up. I imagine it would add a nice dose of flavour to spaghetti tossed with roasted cherry tomatoes and corn, or penne with zucchini and ricotta.

Basil Parmesan

Makes approx.1 cup

• ¾ cup Parmesan cheese chunks
• ¼ - ½ cup fresh basil leaves

Place the cheese and basil in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and pulse until completely combined and crumbled.

Comments

[Michelle R]

Made this is week and it. is. awesome.