Pesto Linguine

What did I do this past weekend?
My weekend consisted of sleeping, fever, sleeping, cold, sleeping, not showering, sleeping, watching The Notebook, sleeping, drinking lots of tea, and sleeping some more.  I did absolutely nothing except try to feel like myself again. 
By Tuesday I started feeling like myself so I decided to break open my organic pesto jar that I purchased from the Cinque Terre, the Liguria region of Italy.
I was sooooooooooooo excited! 
It was a process I tell you. 
The anticipation, I couldn’t wait to try it. 
Look at all that EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL!  Ahhhhhhhhh… I was in heaven!
And then I took a bite.  It felt so good to finally eat oil again after a sore throat and a fever. Yum, I pesto!
Pesto is a healthy fat, but it does contain A LOT of extra virgin olive oil and so it should be eaten in moderation.  For me personally, when it comes to eating healthy fats, I typically don’t hold back on eating them because they are so good for you.  In particular, extra virgin olive oil is known to lower bad cholesterol and promote healthy skin.
I took this recipe one step further and made it slightly healthy by adding steamed asparagus and a couple tomatoes.  Green peas would work really well, too.
Although I would have preferred more pesto, I didn’t want to go too crazy with the olive oil.  It really is up to you how much pesto you want to add.  This is a simple meal that is indulgent and healthy at the same time.  It would work great on a date night.  Enjoy!     

NUTRITION: Basil is an excellent source of Vitamin K and a very good source of Iron, Calcium, and Vitamin A.  Extra Virgin Olive Oil is known to lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and contains high levels of antioxidants.  Asparagus is an excellent source of Vitamins K, A, C, and Folic Acid.  It is also a very good source of Fiber and Protein. 

INGREDIENTS:

• Barilla Whole Grain Linguine – 1 pound
• Asparagus – 1 bunch (slice into 1 inch pieces & steamed)
• Plum Tomatoes – 2 (chopped)
• Pesto – 180 grams or a little over 3/4 of a cup; I used a good quality store bought or make your own with lots of extra virgin olive oil.
  Extra Virgin Olive Oil – 1 to 2 tsp (for boiling pasta water)
• salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat a big pot of water – cover with a lid.
2. While the water comes to a boil, slice the asparagus into 1 inch pieces as follows…

3. Chop the tomatoes.

4. Check on the water, once it is boiling away, add a good amount of salt and a touch of extra virgin olive oil to prevent the linguine from sticking.
5. Add the linguine.  Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until Al Dante.
6. Add the asparagus to a colander and place it over the pasta.  The boiling water will help steam the asparagus. 
7. Cover with a lid.
8. Once done, drain the pasta and add the pasta back to the same pot.  Set aside the steamed asparagus.
9. Now add pesto to taste.  I used my store bought pesto from Italy which was a little more than 3/4 of a cup.  I think 1 cup would be perfect.
10. Toss and add pesto as needed.
11. Add the asparagus and season with salt.  Toss.
12. Add the tomatoes and season with salt.  Gently toss again.
13. See all the colors of Italy?
14. And now serve with a glass of red wine.