Creamy Pesto Pasta

I love this dish, not only because it is sooooooo quick to make but because it is sooooooo delicious. Tonight was one of those nights. But just because I can't spend a lot of time making a meal doesn't mean that I don't' want to eat well. Tonight, it was steaks with sauteed mushrooms. With the steaks, I made steamed squash and broccoli with a browned butter drizzle and this pasta.

If you've been one of those folks that reaches for pasta in a box on those quick meal nights, give this a try. I think it's actually faster than any box could hope to be. The trick is to always have pesto in your freezer. I make mine in the summer when the basil is plentiful and then freeze it in ice cube trays. I pop them out of the trays and store in zip top bags. Ready to go at a moment's notice!

Boil your pasta and drain. In this case, I used the remnants from two bags. If you look closely, we had small shells and some large alphabet pasta from Trader Joe's. Thaw the pesto in a small dish in the microwave. For ice cube sized hunks, it only takes a few seconds (literally! start with 15 seconds). Pour the pesto over the pasta, add a good splash of cream (heavy or light, whatever you've got), and a nice shake of Parmesan cheese. For this recipe, I just shake it right out of the green can. On nights like these, I can't be bothered to grate fresh. That's it! Stir it around and then eat it up. Just make sure you make enough. This is one of those dishes that when I go to do the dishes, I have to have a few more spoonfuls. Sssshhhhh. Don't tell!