Lemon Artichoke Pesto Pasta

The waning days of summer are a great time to make a Pesto for pasta and fresh tomatoes to use up some of your garden basil  and cherry or grape tomatoes.  I had planned on making this dish to eat on an iconic summer evening with cool breezes on the patio with a good bottle of wine.  Darn, Mother Nature plays tricks on  us.  We had the pasta dish on the patio with a good bottle of wine, but the temps weren't that cool and it was humid.  It didn't matter, because the pasta with the pesto was the star of the evening, with the wine , of course.

I had seen this recipe awhile ago on Anecdotes and Applecores, but the pesto was made with flat leaf parsley, olive oil, pine nuts, Hirten cheese artichoke hearts, lemon juice and lemon zest. I had two Basil plants with an abundance of leaves, so I used basil for the pesto, as well as walnuts, garlic cloves, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, artichoke hearts, lemon  juice and lemon zest. In addition, I roasted the cherry tomatoes , which gave them an extra sweet flavor, and topped the pasta dish with Mozzarella cheese,which is what I had leftover in my fridge. No matter which way you make this pasta dish, it will be wonderful.  The artichokes and lemon pair well, and give the pesto a delightful tang, along with Parmesan cheese, walnuts, and basil.  This is  a perfect pesto, with the roasted tomatoes, and the pasta.  Mangia!

We served this pasta with the pesto over linguine with the roasted tomatoes and topped with cheese.   I had mine over my gluten free spaghetti from Trader Joe's, which is pictured above. I don't like a lot of cheese, as you can see. 

Lemon Artichoke Pesto Pasta Adapted from Anecdotes and Applecores

Ingredients:

1 14-oz jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts ( I used walnuts)

1/3 cup fresh parsley ( I used fresh Basil )

1/4 cup freshly grated Hirten cheese  (I used fresh Parmesan)

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb spinach pasta (She used fettuccini)   I used linguine and GF Spaghetti

1 carton grape tomatoes, cut into halves  (I used  fresh cherry tomatoes, about 3/4 lb., sliced in half.) and roasted.

Additional cheese for grating over pasta

Directions:

To Roast tomatoes:  Pre-heat oven to 425 F

 Toss tomatoes in about 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and lay tomatoes on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet.  Bake for 10-15 min, until skins are wrinkled.  Cool on rack while making the pesto and pasta.

In the large bowl of a food processor, combine artichoke hearts, garlic cloves, pine nuts, parsley or basil, cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice. Pulse, do not puree, until well blended. Add the olive oil to the feed tube and let it slowly drain into the bowl as you blend. Salt and pepper to taste. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

l linked up my recipe to Brandie@The Country Cook's Weekend Potluck #83
 Stop by and say Hi to Brandie!