Pesto is the perfect ingredient for students. A jar of it will cost you less than a pound, it can be stored in a cupboard until opened, and is incredibly versatile as it can be served hot or cold. It is no wonder the sauce finds its way into almost every student kitchen!
Let’s take a look at four simple pesto recipes every student needs to have under their belt.
Pasta Pesto
This recipe is a student classic. In fact, I dare you to find me a single person who went to university and didn’t find themselves cooking this up at least once. The recipe is simple: simply boil pasta as you normally would, drain the water, and add several teaspoons of pesto. Mix it all in until it’s nice and hot, and serve!
You can add sun dried tomatoes, cooked chicken, and mozzarella balls for some added flavour, and this works with both green and red pesto.
Meatballs
This is a quick and easy recipe that always impresses people, and one which featured often in my dinner roster. Take mince meat out of the packet, add salt and pepper and a few heaped teaspoons of green pesto. Scrunch the meat up, working in all the ingredients. When it is all combined, separate it into meatball-sized balls, and add to a hot pan with oil.
Fry the meatballs until brown, then turn the heat down and add a can of chopped tomatoes and slices of mozzarella on top of the meatballs. When the meatballs are cooked through and the cheese is all melty, serve up in warm buns with some pesto spread on.
Pastry Slices
This recipe takes literally five minutes to prepare and is a lovely light dinner. Take a roll of pastry (you can buy them from most shops) and roll it out to your desired thickness. Score a border around the edges with a knife. Add on some pesto, a cheese of your choice (I would recommend feta or mozzarella), some sun dried tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the pastry starts to brown.
Chicken and Mozzarella Panini
You can have this either hot or cold, which makes it a great sandwich to perfect. First, slice open a panini (you can buy them in packs of four at Aldi). Alternatively, you can use normal bread for this if you prefer. Slice up some mozzarella and add it to the sandwich on top of a thick layer of pesto.
Chuck in some cooked chicken, tomatoes, and any other ingredients of your choice (I love adding prosciutto) and place into a grill machine or in the toaster in a toasty bag. When toasted, slice in two and serve with chips, crisps, or salad.