One of the things I love to do with my homemade pesto is adding it to a creamy bechamel sauce and then adding that to a pile of ancient grains and some greens. For bonus flavor and nutrition, I top with roasted sweet potatoes to make a full meal.
This dish is hearty, filling, and sure to be one of your favorites. I usually use a mixture of farro, wheat berries, quinoa, and brown rice as my ancient grains foundation, but you can substitute for your favorites, and feel free to add and subtract as necessary. Sometimes, I even use bowtie pasta, although that completely changes the dish.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups prepared grains
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup pesto sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup fresh kale
- 1 cup steamed broccoli, chopped
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons flour flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesean
- roasted sweet potatoes
- Prepare the bechamel sauce by melting the butter in a large pan over low heat. Add flour and whisk constantly until fully combined. When it is light brown in color, add half of the milk and continue to whisk. When it begins to thicken, add the remaining milk and parmesan. Whisk to combine, remove from heat, and whisk in the pesto sauce.
- Meanwhile, in another pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add garlic, spinach and kale. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until greens are wilted. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add grains to bechamel sauce, stir until fully coated. Stir in garlic, spinach, kale, and broccoli. Top with sweet potatoes if desired and serve warm
Kind of blurry, but this is what it looks like in the pan when it has finished cooking.
