For a couple of years now, I have been fond of growing my own basils. I plant them indoors in small pots that I can place on my kitchen windowsill when it is still too cold for planting outside. Once it gets warm enough I transfer them or plant new ones in my container garden. Basil seems to like both places as long as they get enough water and sun. They reward me with abundant, healthy and aromatic, green leaves that I use for adding to salads and of course for making my own pesto. 
What is the best way to use pesto other than making Pesto Pasta? Well, a lot I would say! There are more to pesto beyond pasta, but for now, we will stick to that. Making Basil Pesto from scratch is so effortless, all that you do is bring all the ingredients in a blender or mixer, pulse it a few times and you are done. This recipe for Basil Pesto Pasta with Scallops is equally uncomplicated.
I used scallops for this recipe...simply because I have them already... if I have shrimps then I could use that too, which I have done several times in the past. And if you do not have any of these, tuna in can is also great, it is actually the first pesto pasta recipe I learned to make when I was still in the Philippines almost a decade ago...and my sisters (all three) totally loved it that even now that we are living in different part of the globe, they would call me up to ask for the recipe or tell me how much their friends and loved one love it!
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Basil Pesto Pasta with Scallops
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10-12 scallops
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic - - minced
- 1 small onion - - chopped
- ½ cup basil pesto sauce
- salt and pepper - - to taste
- grated Parmesan cheese
- 8 oz pasta noodles - (cooked as per package direction)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Pat dry the scallops with a paper towel and then sprinkle them with some salt.
- Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over high heat. Cook the scallops searing both sides for about 1-2 minutes each side. Remove scallops from oil and set aside for now.
- Add 3 tablespoon more of olive oil to the pan. Now under medium heat, saute the garlic and onions until tender.
- Add back the scallops and also the pesto sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Toss in the cooked pasta noodles and mix well. Remove from heat and serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
What do you think?