Mint-Pesto Fettuccine with Cherry Tomatoes

While our tomatoes are very slow to grow and ripen, our mint is truly flooding our small garden out back. Without a real yard we are growing everything in pots, but the mint is really pushing the limits of its home! It grows as fast as we can possibly eat it, or possibly even faster. Yet, it’s delicious and enticing and keeps us playing with new recipes. Here we try a mint pesto, a first for me, and it works out wonderfully.

I also tried out the garden delight pasta as opposed to my typical use of whole wheat pasta. These noodles are made from a variety of vegetables, providing nutrients and protein into a meal that may not have had a ton of them otherwise. With the toppings I can’t say I tasted a stark difference, but the entire meal was delicious so I’m sure that contributed without me directly noticing it.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 20 min



Mint-Pesto Fettuccine with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients:
1 box fettuccine garden delight pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
½ c fresh mint leaves
¼ c pistachios, dry roasted, no salt
1 garlic clove
½ tsp black pepper
1.5 c cherry tomatoes, halved
3 tbsp pecorino romano, grated

Get your pasta cooking according to the directions on the package but omit all fat and salt.

Put the olive oil, mint, pistachios (shelled if needed), garlic, and black pepper in a food processor. Process until the texture of pesto. You may need to stop the processor, scrape the sides, and continue if you only have a large processor.

Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. Add the mint pesto, cherry tomatoes, and pecorino romano. Toss well until evenly combined and enjoy!

Servings: 4
Serving size:
Nutrition: calories 456; carbs 65g; fat 17g; protein 14g; sodium 131mg; iron 18mg