Each recipe on our site is part of a meal, which, in turn, is part of a new set of seasonally-themed breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, released each week. As a member (free), you have access to each week’s 8+ meals and their corresponding recipes.
Learn more by hovering over each or read more info on the Sign Up page.
Get more recipes like this one. Sign up today at www.Lillys-Table.com!
Prep
Difficulty
Easy
Time
Estimate
45 mins
Preheat the oven. Boil the water. Slice the onions, prepare and start roasting them. Blend up the pesto. Boil the pasta. Chop the vegetables for the pasta salad. Slice the tomatoes and decorate with basil & parmesan. Toss the pesto, pasta and vegetables together.
Use fresh bulbs of spring onions, fat tiny cipollini, even hearty shallots can be used for this heavenly dish that essentially caramelizes the onions slowly under the consistent oven heat. If you are starting with small bulbs of onions, they may not even need to be sliced. Just be sure to remove the outer tough layer. When I feel I have done this, I have noticed occasionally after cooking that the outer layer is a bit tough. Just pull these off to make it easier for your guests to enjoy!
Homemade pesto is an amazing, yet simple luxury. Have a mortar & pestle? Roll up those sleeves and pound some love into this garlic-basil-olive oil sauciness. Have a food processor? Pulse, pulse and you are done. We use lemon to brighten the flavor and retain color. Make this vegan by substituting more nuts for the cheese. If you can’t find or afford pricy pine nuts, I love my pesto with walnuts, pistachios, almonds or even pecans.
When basil is fresh for the picking, so are the tomatoes and zucchini that accompany this dish. Make it ahead and enjoy as leftovers for lunch. This is an excellent main dish, but can also be a side dish at a picnic or barbeque. This simply calls for pesto. Use our homemade version or purchase pre-made in the deli section. Try to avoid the jarred pesto as the flavor and color diminishes in jars.
This luscious tomato dish is from my childhood summer dinners. Slices of the richest, juiciest seasonal tomatoes are ideal for this dish. The rest of the recipe is just a few things that are nice to sprinkle on top. Add more or less of each, to taste.
