Everyone’s familiar with basil pesto, but did you know you can also use your garden’s most abundant veggies to make Italian-inspired dishes? Did you know pesto is a process, not a specific recipe. The word pesto comes from an Italian verb that means “to crush” or “to grind.” Basil was an important ingredient in the northwestern Italian town of Genoa. The herb was grown in abundance there, and so Italians wanted a way to prevent it from going to waste. Their solution: to grind it up in a mortar and pestle with garlic, parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. That’s where we get pesto Genovese. Just like the Italians didn’t want to waste basil, these recipes will keep you from letting your summer garden staples go to waste.
Zucchini Pesto
Makes 2 cups
Zucchini and tomato are some of the most often used ingredients in Italian cooking. Zucchini is an Italian word meaning small squash. That translation is pretty straightforward. However, the translation for tomato is a bit different. The Italian word for tomato literally means apple of gold.
2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 medium zucchini, chopped
⅓ cup sun-dried tomato halves
2 garlic cloves, peeled
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1.Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms.
2.If using a mortar and pestle, crush the pine nuts until a fine crumb forms. Add the zucchini, sun-dried tomato, and garlic, and mash until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms.
3.Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months.
Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna Stacks
Makes 5 servings
Eggplant Parmesan traces its roots to Italy, where it’s called parmigiana di melanzane. The dish’s name comes from the Sicilian word for shutters, parmiciana. On the other hand, lasagna is not originally from Italy. This now Italian classic was first made in ancient Greece.
1 cup flour
2 eggs, whisked
1½ cups panko bread crumbs
1 Tbsp dried basil
2 tsp salt
1 medium eggplant, cut into 15 slices about 1/2 in. thick
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup zucchini Pesto
1 cup tomato sauce
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1.Heat oven to 375º F.
2.Prepare three small bowls: the first with flour; the second with eggs; and the third with panko bread crumbs, basil, and salt mixed together.
3.Coat each eggplant slice with the flour first, the egg second, and the bread crumb mixture third.
4.In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Heat until water sizzles when dropped in.
5.Place as many of the coated eggplant slices as you can fit in a single layer in the pan. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes each side.
6.Transfer the fried eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat steps 4 and 5 until all eggplant slices are fried.
7.Meanwhile, mix the ricotta cheese and Zucchini Pesto in a small bowl.
8.Grease a medium baking pan. Place 5 fried eggplant slices in a single layer in the pan, with an inch of space between each.
9.Spoon a heaping 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture on each fried eggplant slice, followed by 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce. Place another eggplant slice on each stack and gently press until the filling reaches the edge of the eggplant slice.
10.Repeat steps 8 and 9 two more times so there are a total of three layers each of eggplant, ricotta mixture, and tomato sauce in each of the 5 stacks.
11.Top each stack with a pinch of mozzarella cheese.
12.Bake for 30 minutes, or until the mozzarella cheese has melted and begins turning golden brown.
13.Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Risotto-Stuffed Peppers
Makes 6 servings
Risotto is the most common use of rice in Italy. Rice first arrived in Sicily during the Middle Ages. Over time, the rice that grew best in Italy’s climate was a short-grain variety. Arborio rice is the type used in risotto. It’s cooked in broth to create this creamy primo, or first course, dish.
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp olive oil
3 bell peppers, halved lengthwise
½ cup diced onion
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup Arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup Zucchini Pesto
1. Heat oven to 400º F.
2.In a small baking pan, toss the tomatoes in salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
3.In a medium baking pan, brush the bell pepper halves with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Transfer the bell peppers to a large baking pan.
4.Bake the tomatoes and the bell peppers for 25 minutes. Set aside when done.
5.While the vegetables roast in the oven, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the onion in a large pan over medium heat. Stir continuously for 5 minutes, or until onions become translucent.
6.Add the rice to the onion mixture. Stir to coat the rice, and then cook for 2 minutes.
7.Add the white wine to the rice. Stir continuously until the wine cooks off, about 5 minutes.
8.Meanwhile, in a small pot, bring the vegetable broth to a simmer.
9.Add one ladle of the simmering broth to the rice. Stir continuously until the rice has absorbed most of the broth. Repeat until one ladle is left.
10.Add the final ladle of broth and the Zucchini Pesto to the rice. Stir until mostly absorbed, but still a little runny. Remove from the heat.
11.Add the roasted tomatoes to the risotto and gently fold in.
12.Scoop the risotto into the bell pepper halves and serve
Jessica Paholsky is the founder of Once Upon a Pesto. As afull-time communications professionaland having traveled to more than a dozen different countries, she is a storyteller and visual creative who is passionate about having a global perspective. For more globally-inspired pesto recipes and innovative ways to use each of them, visitonceuponapesto.comand follow@onceuponapestoonInstagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
