Recipes with Pesto Sauce for Kids

I recently learned how good fresh basil is for you, the only problem is how do you use it? Here are a few slick ways I get my family to eat pesto, which has basil, and also nuts and olive oil in it which are great for you. I got my organic basil from Trader Joes btw.

This is what it looks like when all blended 

Mac N Cheese with Pesto Sauce

Pesto Recipe

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (or you can use fresh spinach)
2-3 cloves garlic (based on how much you love garlic)
1/4 cup raw slivered almonds (most people use pine nuts, but almonds are supposed to be the best for you so I use almonds)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
 salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup Romano and Parmesan cheese

Directions

Use a bullet or food processor and blend all the ingredients till you have  a nice green sauce.

Mac N Cheese Recipe

Boil your choice of pasta as directed on the box (I like to do spirals or little shells)

Cheese Sauce Recipe

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

flour (as needed)

salt  (to taste)

pepper (to taste)

Directions

First heat milk , next stir in cheese till it melts, and after that add flour slowly till the sauce thickens. Then add salt and pepper to taste. Once the pasta is cooked and drained, dump it into the cheese sauce. Finally mix in about 1/2 cup of pesto sauce (if your child is a picky eater you may want to use a little less).

This is the mac and cheese all done (I used veggie spirals as my choice of pasta)











Grilled Cheese with Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Bread
Cheddar Cheese
Pesto Sauce 

Directions

Make a grilled cheese sandwich, after cooked pull the sides apart and with a spoon ladle and spread on some pesto sauce, then put it back together again.


Pesto Pizza

Ingredient

Pizza Dough
Mozzarella Cheese
Pesto Sauce
Pizza Sauce (Optional)

Directions

Buy pre-made pizza dough(Trader Joe's has some yummy and decently priced pizza dough), or if you are more adventurous you could make your own. Roll it out, and bake it on a pizza stone or cookie tray that has been greased for about 15-20 minutes at 350 F, till it doesn't feel gummy. Then spread pesto sauce over the crust (if you are afraid your family will freak out at the sight of green pizza put a layer of pizza sauce over it) and sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the top. Place the pizza back into the oven till the cheese melts.