Here we have a zesty dish that in the past 12 months – I would rank as one of my favorites.  I ate this bowl of basil beef pesto fettucine in literally 4 minutes.  How is that for indigestion issues?

Every flavor was so amazing.  The dish is comprised of everything I love – basil, beef, pesto, carrots and whole wheat pasta.  Can one really go wrong?  I will let you answer that.

As for the technique for making the sauce, I chose the braising method.  I did this for a couple of reasons.  First, I had a chunk of roast beef saved from a previous meal that was sitting idle in the fridge.  I wanted to revive it and make it moist and tender again.  Secondly, I chose a sturdy carrot to go in the sauce.   To mitigate the issue of a soggy carrot, I cut the carrots quite large on the bias and added them in last to the braising liquid.

The addition of the pesto was easy as I had some left overs from the other day when I made a nice sized batch.  This stuff is sooooooo good.

Ingredients

• 2 Cups whole wheat fettucine
• 1/2 Cup pesto
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Carrots (chopped)
• 1/4 Beef stock
• 1/4 Water
• 1 1/2 Cups cooked beef (chopped)
• 1 Garlic clove (chopped)
• Fresh parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Preheat saucepan to medium heat and sear the beef (about 3 minutes).



3. Add chopped garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
4. Toss in carrot and stir; cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add stock and water, turn the temperature up to high and bring to a boil;  Do not put the lid on.
6. Let the liquid reduce to a thick consistency.
7. Add pesto and stir until warmed through.



8. Drain pasta and add to sauce; toss together.
9. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Before adding the braising liquid, as I always say, sear the beef before hand in a little olive oil and lock in the flavors.

This dish will work equally well with chicken or pork.  To convert this recipe into a vegetarian dish, you could add tofu or simply bulk up on the veggies and be happy.

Question of the day: What is your favorite dish involving pesto?

I hope you have a great day and I look forward to all the exciting feedback and comments.

Take care

zesty