Artichoke Pesto Penne

I served it with a fresh garden tomato Caprese salad.

What would I do without my food processor?

Served with whole wheat garlic bread

I blame the consistently gloomy summer we're having for my recent daily pasta cravings. Over the weekend, my mom and I had a girls night in with dinner, wine, and a movie. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday night and my first attempt at making pesto. This recipe uses Italian parsley and artichoke hearts instead of basil, which made it more mild than other pesto recipes. It was easy to make and tasted incredible. I substituted brown rice pasta and added shrimp and we absolutely loved it. What do you crave when it's gloomy outside?

Artichoke Pesto on Wagon Wheels (Giada De Laurentiis)
Ingredients
1 pound wagon wheels pasta (recommended: Barilla)
1 (8-ounce) pack of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 cup fresh parsley leaves, packed down
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, in a food processor combine the artichokes, parsley, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Run the machine to finely chop all the ingredients, stopping the machine a few times to scrape down the sides. Then, with the machine running, drizzle in olive oil. Transfer the artichoke mixture into a large serving bowl. Stir in the cheese. Add the warm pasta and toss to combine. If needed, add the reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time to moisten the pasta and create a sauce-like consistency. Serve.