Quick Recipe for Busy Mums- Prawn Pesto Pasta with Grilled Tomatoes

I haven’t done a recipe sharing in a long while so here it is- my go-to yummy pasta recipe when I am tired, rushed and uninspired to make a whole gourmet meal.

Never tried pesto? What is it?

Pesto is made from Basil leaves normally. As I mentioned in the video, you can find other types in the market too. From tomatoes based to aubergine to red peppers, added with coriander to other spices. I love the traditional ones best.

I am amazed that the Asda one contains more basil than the name brand (Sacla) jar. So really, it has been proven that it is not necessary to always buy name brand to get better ingredients. At the end of the day, always remember to read the labels/ingredients list.

Steps to making the dish

My routine when making this is:

1. First boil water for the pasta. (In this video, I was using Asda brand Gluten-Free fusili).
2. Cook the pasta, preferably the quick cooking ones. They take about 5 mins (or less for the egg pasta) to cook.
3. When the pasta is cooking, wash tomatoes, prep them (lots of olive oil, sprinkle marine salt and some pepper) and then bung them in the oven on top grill/fan oven setting (220C). Grilled tomatoes, depending on your preferred end result, can take anywhere from 20-45 mins. I prefer mine very roasted and quite caramelised.
4. Once those 2 are going, get the prawns and garlic ready.
5. Heat the olive oil for the dish in a (preferably) thick-bottomed non-stick/iron pan.
6. Gently fry the garlic on medium-low fire. Don’t let it get brown.
7. In the meantime, the pasta is ready. Drain, rinse in cold water and add olive oil to stop it sticking. Then stick it in the chiller section of the fridge. Why? Because… *read below*
8. By now, the garlic is softened and is very fragrant. Add the prawns to the pan and gently raise the heat.
9. Once the prawns are a beautiful orange colour (a sign that they are thoroughly cooked)- which should take no more than 3-4 mins- lower the fire to the lowest setting and add the pesto from the jars.
10. While the pesto warms up in the pan, prepare the condiments, cheese (assuming you love Parmesan as we do), set the table and get kids ready to sit.
11. Take the cold pasta out of the fridge and warm it up again in the microwave.
12. Prepare the dish, garnish it the way I do (or your own style) and serve!!

Voila!

This is a dish that is always welcomed in our house. A lot of the times you’ll see me frying the prawns’ heads together with the garlic to release the juices from them. It makes the sauce taste more seafood-y (?). You know you’re an Asian when you do that! LOL!

Now your turn!

Do tell me what you think of this dish, to those who have never made it before. If you did try, do share how else you made it interesting for your family. I’d love to hear from you. Oh and please do SUBSCRIBE to my website and my YouTube channel so you’ll get notified every time I post an article or vlog. Cheers!!

According to an experiment on the BBC show Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, eating pasta that has been cooked, cooled, and then reheated is significantly healthier than eating it freshly cooked because it turns into “resistant starch,” reducing blood glucose levels by half.

Normal starch in bread and pasta turns into sugar quickly when it is digested. The tangled chains of glucose sugar molecules in normal starch are easily broken down into single sugar molecules and then quickly absorbed, according to HyperPhysics, hosted by the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Georgia State University. Dieters are advised to stay away from these foods because if the sugar isn’t burned off, it is turned into fat and leads to a spike in blood glucose levels.

Dr. Denise Robertson, a senior nutrition scientist from the University of Surrey in England believes if you cook and cool pasta down, the body will begin to treat it more like a fiber than a starch. It does this by creating a smaller sugar rise and feeding the good gut bacteria. Eating cold pasta will also lead to less absorption of calories. – Quote: MedicalDaily.com

Enjoy this blog? Check out another recipe from me: Mum’s Spiced Chicken Salad