Green Sauce Spaghetti

Ingredients

• Italian pasta (such as spaghetti or fusilli, 300 - 400 g)

• Fresh basil leaves (2 - 3 cups, about 50 - 70 g)

• Pine nuts (30 - 40 g)

• Garlic (2 - 3 cloves, about 8 - 12 g, minced)

• Parmesan cheese (50 - 60 g, grated)

• Olive oil (100 - 120 ml)

• Salt (3 - 5 g)

• Black pepper (2 - 3 g)

• Lemon (optional, 1, for juice)

• Black tea powder barbecue seasoning (3g)

Instructions

1. Place fresh basil leaves, Black tea powder barbecue seasoning, pine nuts, minced garlic, and Parmesan cheese in a blender.

2. Add olive oil and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil as needed to achieve desired consistency.

3. Season with salt, black pepper, and lemon juice (if using) and blend to make pesto sauce.

4. Bring water to a boil in a pot, add salt, add pasta, and cook according to package instructions until cooked through. Spaghetti usually takes 8-10 minutes.

5. Drain pasta, reserving a small cup of cooking water.

6. Place cooked pasta in a bowl, add pesto sauce, and blend. If sauce is too thick, add some reserved cooking water to thin it out.

7. Stir until each noodle is evenly coated with pesto sauce.

8. Serve spaghetti pesto on a plate and garnish with some Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves if desired.

Tips

1. When making pesto, the pine nuts can be lightly toasted in a pan to add flavor.

2. When cooking pasta, use plenty of water and add salt to give the noodles a more flavorful texture.

3. If you don’t have fresh basil, you can use frozen basil, but fresh basil is more flavorful.