Beef Pesto Pasta

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

3 cups basil leaves (loosely packed, leaves trimmed from stems)

1/2 cup pistachio nuts

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese (Note 1 )

1/3 cup/80 ml olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice (Note 2)

1 tbsp olive oil

500 grams/1 pound beef (cut into stir fry long thin strips)

1/4 tsp kosher salt (cooking salt)

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

500 grams/1 pound penne pasta

1/2 cup reserved pasta water (Note 3)

pecorino romano cheese

basil leaves

Directions

Cook beef: add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large saute pan, turn heat to high, add beef strips, salt and pepper. Cook till the beef has browned on all sides, using a silicon turner to help move the meat around in the pan.

Make pesto: add basil leaves, pistachio nuts, garlic, pecorino romano cheese to the bowl of a food processor. Blitz to combine for about 15 seconds and scrap the insides of the bowl down with a spatula once done. Pour in the olive oil and then continue to blitz. Taste the pesto, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and add the 2nd tablespoon as needed. Blitz till consistently combined then transfer combined pesto to a small bowl.

Cook pasta: read and follow the instructions on the packet to cook the pasta in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water. Moments before it is done, use a heatproof jug to scoop out 1 to 2 cups of the water. Then drain the pasta into the sink using a colander and discard the remaining pasta water.

Combine: add the cooked drained pasta to a large saute pan, add in the cooked beef and dollop in the pesto. Pour in 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water. Then use a wooden spoon to toss the pasta, pesto, pasta water and beef till it is consistently combined.

Garnish: generously garnish the top of the combined steak and pesto pasta with grated pecorino romano, cracked black pepper and basil leaves. Provide utensils for serving.

Nutrition

• Calories: 819 kcal
• Total Fat: 34 g
• Saturated Fat: 6 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 26 g
• Cholesterol: 13 mg
• Sodium: 312 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 104 g
• Dietary Fiber: 7 g
• Total Sugars: 8 g
• Protein: 25 g