DEAR SPRINGFIELD MAMA

Pesto: The answer to ‘oops I forgot about dinner’

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Brittany Meiling

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Pesto Pasta Night: I don’t know how I made it into my 30s before embracing jarred pesto, but here we are. When I have no time and no energy, this is the dinner that still feels like a meal.

Pesto Pasta Formula

The gist (no measuring cups required):

  1. Boil any pasta. Salt the water so it tastes like the sea.
  2. While it cooks, warm a protein in a skillet. We do Italian chicken sausage—slice it on the diagonal so it looks fancy—but rotisserie chicken, leftover steak, or a can of chickpeas all work.
  3. Drain the pasta, toss it back in the warm pot with a big scoop (or the whole jar if it’s small) of pesto, then fold in a vegetable. Cooked broccoli florets are perfect; peas, spinach, or sautéed zucchini are great too.

Finishers (one or two is plenty): A splash of pasta water, squeeze of lemon, shower of Parmesan, black pepper, red pepper flakes, or a drizzle of olive oil.

Rave review: A friend swears by this combo: pasta + 1/2 cup pesto + 1 can of drained chickpeas, then topped with goat mozzarella.

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Hello,

I’m Brittany


Brittany Meiling is a former newspaper reporter and editor with bylines at the Los Angeles Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, and the Springfield Daily Citizen. Now a stay-at-home mom to one spirited kid, she writes Dear Springfield Mama to help local mothers feel more grounded, connected, and in the know. She’s traded newsroom deadlines for nature walks, budget grocery runs, and chasing beauty in the middle of it all. 

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