Another bonus is having the time to do something other than work, study, or pack boxes. Unpacking.... well that's another story for August. In the meantime, trips to the farmer's market and shoe shopping for one particular upcoming wedding have been a much appreciated change of pace from the daily hospital grind.
Are you ready for another, absolutely delightful permutation of beans n' greens? Not quite to the eat-to-live standards (hello olive oil... and cheese.. and pasta) but full of healthy things nonetheless (arugula-spinach-tomato pesto = ASTP!). The ingredients for the pesto actually make enough for two nights. Use half today and freeze the rest.
The great thing about pesto in general is how forgiving it is. Don't have spinach? Add extra arugula. Prefer less garlic? Reduce it to three cloves. Where the heck to I find pepitas?? Use walnuts.
Arugula-Spinach-Tomato Pesto on Gnocchi & Chickpeas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Servings: 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups packed fresh
arugula
1 cup packed fresh
spinach
6 cloves fresh garlic
¼ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin
seeds) or pine nuts
2 chives
6 large basil leaves
¼ cup virgin olive oil
1 – 14.5 oz can diced
tomatoes (do not drain)
1 - 14.5 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 500g package of
potato gnocchi
2 oz herbed feta
cheese, crumbled (I used tomato basil)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Bring a
large pot of water to boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water. Drop arugula
and spinach into boiling water and allow to cook for 20 seconds. Then strain
out greens and submerge in ice water. Reserve boiling water for gnocchi (step 5).
2.
Peel the garlic and add it along with the basil leaves, pepitas, and chives to
the bowl of a food processor. Pulse
until the mixture is minced.
3.
Squeeze all of the water from the
blanched greens and add them to the food processor along with the tomatoes.
Pulse until finely chopped and well incorporated with the garlic mixture.
4.
With the processor running, add olive oil. Blend until well combined. Set half of the pesto aside and freeze for later use.
5. Add garbanzo beans and gnocchi to the reserved boiling water and cook according to gnocchi package directions.
7. Strain gnocchi and beans; scoop into serving bowls immediately. Divide the other half of pesto over gnocchi and sprinkle each serving with feta cheese.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
(per serving):
Calories
436, Total Fat 12.8 g, Cholesterol 12.6 mg, Sodium: 507 mg, Protein 8.7 g, Fiber 4.9
g
This was my first time using gnocchi, which are small, soft, dumpling-like pasta balls. They cook up super quickly, and were easy to find at Trader Joe's and the local grocery store. This ASTP has a great bite from the garlic and arugula, and is lightened up with the tomatoes so that it would be great on any pasta. Or, you can try it one of these other 10 Ways to use Pesto Beyond Pasta from The Kitchn.
