Punch up past night with this sardine pesto pasta, a seaside Mediterranean staple bursting with flavor and packed with protein. It’s fresh, fragrant and a wonderful way to incorporate superfood sardines into a well-rounded meal.
To make your own pesto, gather greens like basil, kale or beet greens, nuts or toasted seeds, a hard, salty cheese like parmesan, cooking oil and garlic. You want approximately eight parts greens, two parts nuts, two parts cheese and two parts oil, plus garlic to taste! You can use a blender, a mortar and pestle, a cheese grater or a knife and cutting board to finely dice the ingredients before combining. For an easy kale and almond pesto, head here.
To add even more flavor to this dish, add cherry tomatoes or spinach with the sardines and cook until blistered or wilted.
Sardine Pesto Pasta
| Yield |
|---|
| Serves 4 |
| Prep Time | Cook Time | Total Time |
|---|---|---|
| 10 min | 12 min | 22 min |
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta of your choice, such as spaghetti, penne, rotini, or farfalle
- 2 cans sardines, drained and mashed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped, or 1 ½ teaspoons jarred minced garlic
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup basil pesto, store-bought or homemade
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley or basil, optional, for garnish
Method
- Cook pasta in a large pot of well-salted water according to package instructions. Drain, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add sardines and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to combine. Remove skillet from heat.
- Add Parmesan, pesto, salt, pepper and pasta, and toss to coat. Add reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, until desired consistency is reached and pasta is coated in sauce evenly.
- Garnish with parsley and additional Parmesan, and serve.
- Photo and recipe: Dish Works
