Homemade Spagetti Noodles with Pesto, Goat Cheese and Grape Tomatoes

This is the first recipe I made using my fresh homemade pasta. The pesto is just a basic pesto recipe and it's spicy garlic taste is toned down by tangy goat cheese and fresh grape tomatoes. It is the perfect recipe for a quick no cook sauce that is both tasty and fresh. Great for using up excess basil you may have lying around.

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 
  
• Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

From: www.simplyrecipes.com

Mix cooked pasta with the pesto and add crumbled goat cheese to taste. (I use about 2 oz per 1/4 lb of pasta) Rinse and halve grape tomatoes and toss. Serve immediately.