Pesto has almost heroic capabilities in the kitchen, especially for a quick, midweek dinner. Fresh, fragrant and so easy to make, it can add much-needed oomph to nearly all staple dishes: pasta, salad, fish — you name it! Here are three tasty recipes for some prompt pesto perfection.

Trenette al pesto

It’s fair to say that trenette pasta can be sometimes mistaken for its more popular cousin, linguine. According to the experts over at Pasta Evangelists, it “closely resembles linguine, but actually has a more rounded shape, which offers greater adherence to sauces and allows it to better transmit the rich aromatic taste of Genovese pesto.”

Trenette certainly deserves a bit more recognition, although you may have spotted this titular dish in the animated movie Luca. Set on the Italian Riviera, two sea monsters in human form (hear us out here) bond over a shared indulgence of Italian cuisine, specifically this delightful dish. The film had its audience drooling last year, and for a good reason — the dish looks (and tastes!) simply sublime, with lashings of garlic, parmesan and satisfying swirls of trenette smothered in pesto. Buon appetito!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 3 cups trenette pasta
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 cup green beans, cut into small pieces

Pesto

• 3 cloves garlic
• ½ cup basil
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 1 pinch coarse sea salt
• 3 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp pecorino cheese, grated
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Method

1. Put the basil, garlic, pine nuts and a touch of salt in a blender. Blend for a few seconds then add the parmesan, pecorino and a generous drizzle of olive oil, a bit at a time. Stop once the pesto is smooth and creamy.
2. Add the pasta, potato and green beans to a pan of salted, boiling water and cook until the trenette is al dente.
3. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the pesto and toss well until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
4. Serve immediately, with a garnish of fresh basil leaves, a sprinkle of pine nuts and a good drizzle of olive oil.

2. Tomato, avocado and cucumber salad with vegan pesto

This healthy salad is fresh, aromatic and surprisingly hearty. There are very few ingredients involved, with the creamy avocado taking a starring role in both the pesto and salad. This recipe swaps the parmesan cheese traditionally used in pesto for nutritional yeast for pesto perfection that’s suitable for vegans. Hungry? Add a sprinkle of quinoa or couscous for a more filling midweek meal, or serve as a colorful side dish.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 avocados
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup red onion
• 1 cup red cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Pesto

• 1 avocado
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 1⁄3 cup pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• ½ tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Method

1. In a blender, combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic and the flesh of one avocado. With the blender running, slowly pour in the lemon juice, olive oil, and water as needed until you have a smooth pesto.
2. On a chopping board, dice the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and avocado.
3. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss in the avocado pesto and the lemon juice.
4. Season with salt and pepper, plus a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

3. Salmon parcels with red pesto

Got a bad case of the Wednesdays? This quick dish is perfect for the dreaded ‘hump day’. Earthy, flavorful and healthy — with nutritious and delicious wild rice plus broccoli that’s rich in vitamin K. Salmon goes beautifully with the taste, aroma and color of red pesto, but it’s a recipe that’s easy to adapt. Throw in some roasting potatoes, asparagus, green beans, and garnish to your preference.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 boneless salmon filets
• 10 fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup purple sprouting broccoli
• 2 cups instant wild rice
• ½ cup black olives, diced
• 1 lemon, ½ juiced, ½ thinly sliced

Pesto

• 10 sundried tomatoes
• 20 fresh basil leaves
• 1⁄3 cup pine nuts
• ½ cup parmesan cheese
• 1 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
• Red wine vinegar, to drizzle
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Put the basil, tomatoes, pepper and a dash of olive oil into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add in the pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and red wine vinegar and continue to blend until a pesto-consistency is reached.
2. Preheat the oven to 390°F and lay a large sheet of baking paper on a baking tray.
3. Pour the rice into a large mixing bowl along with the olives, lemon juice, basil and 4 tbsp of pesto. Add a dash of water if needed, then mix well.
4. Spread the mixture evenly on the baking paper then place the salmon on top.
5. Top the salmon with the remaining pesto, then scatter the broccoli and slices of lemon around the filets.
6. Layer another, larger rectangle of baking paper on top and tuck in the sides to form a parcel.
7. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. Season with salt, pepper and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.