Aww…fall…the time of year when pecans start emerging on the food scene. Whether you pronounce them PEE-cans or Pe-CAHNS, you’ll soon be consuming them as Pecan Pralines, Pecan Pies, Candied Pecans, Spiced Pecans, and may I introduce you to my new favorite pecan recipe, Pecan Pesto with Garlicky Breadcrumbs. Can’t you just taste and hear that garlicky crunch?! Woohoo! And while we don’t make our angel hair pasta anymore, this recipe will be absolutely yum with any pasta from our Better-for You Pasta line! I especially love our Lower Cal Pasta.
I came across this in May’s Southern Living Magazine and I’ve been waiting to share it with you. This has made it to the TOP of my pasta recipe “Best-Of” lists and I’m thrilled. It’s the kind of “goes with everything” pasta recipe…I’ve added grilled shrimp on top, grilled salmon, and also just served it as a side dish. And admittedly, I’ve eaten an entire bowl standing over my sink before anyone could see me and ask me to share. This is recipe gold friends. I mean it.
Let’s break this down a little bit…first of all, I love pestos. There are so many variations out there, and I’ve shared a few in the past like Arugula and Lime, Sun Dried Tomato, Everyday Basil Parsley, and even a Kale and Walnut Pesto.
One of the best things about pesto is you can make it ahead…days ahead, and store it in your refrigerator. Or if you are super ambitious you can freeze cubes and keep for months.
Pecan Pesto is milder than most, due to the mixture of basil and parsley, and pecans of course have a somewhat mild, rich, buttery flavor. But the real surprise is the addition of the garlicky breadcrumbs. Wow. You could honestly put these over ANYTHING. I’ve made a recipe for roasted broccoli with similar breadcrumbs and it is absolutely delicious. Have you noticed a lot of menu items are adding some sort of crunchy yumminess on top? If you are not sure what to do with your next recipe, whether a salad, soup, or pasta….just add some homemade dressed up breadcrumbs!
The breadcrumbs themselves are seasoned with minced fresh garlic, but also include lemon zest – adding a nice zing. I always go heavy on the lemon zest…you can’t really have too much! When making the breadcrumbs, made sure to pulse the bread into decent sized pieces…you’ll want to see these individually on the pasta.
Pecan Pesto with Garlicky Breadcrumbs will be a recipe you’ll want to make all year long. So save or print this recipe and please make it soon! My pasta choice was our Classic Angel Hair Pasta Nests (update: nests are no longer available)…so for this recipe, I’d recommend any long shape or shape from our Better-for-You Pasta line…..yum!
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