Dinner for 4

Arugula Pesto Pasta

Name: Arugula Pesto Pasta
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 9 1/2 oz cherry or grape tomatoes; 12 oz spaghetti pasta; 8 oz mozzarella pearls; 1/3 cup basil; as needed kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (optional); 3 clove garlic; 1/3 cup pine nuts (optional); 2 1/2 cups arugula (optional); 2/3 cup pecorino romano (optional); 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

$10.20for 430 minServes 4

Spaghetti cooks with tomatoes and mozzarella, then gets tossed with a fresh arugula pesto made from herbs, cheese, and oil.

Photo: nospoonnecessary.com

What it costs

Pick your city to see which ingredients are on sale

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
	Cherry and grape tomatoes, 9.5 oz$0.30/oz typical	9.5 oz	$2.85Typical price
	Pasta, 12 oz$0.10/oz typical	12 oz	$1.20Typical price
	Mozzarella, 8 oz$0.30/oz typical	8 oz	$2.40Typical price
	Fresh herbs (cilantro, 0.25$1.49 each typical	0.25	$0.25Typical price
	Garlic, 0.25$0.75 each typical	0.25	$0.22Typical price
	Nuts and seeds, 0.75 oz$0.70/oz typical	0.75 oz	$0.52Typical price
	Bok choy and napa cabbage, 0.15 lb$1.99/lb typical	0.15 lb	$0.31Typical price
	Blue cheese, 1.25 oz$0.80/oz typical	1.25 oz	$1.07Typical price
	Juice, 0.25 oz$0.04/oz typical	0.25 oz	$0.01Typical price
Total for the servings shown		$10.20

Swaps

Swap mozzarella for cheddar and shredded cheeseabout the same price
Swap pasta for egg noodlesabout $0.04/oz more at typical prices

Pantry staples you likely have

Dried herbs, spices and seasoning blendsCooking spray, shortening, ghee, coconut and sesame oil

Not included in the cost.

30 minstart to table
Mediumdifficulty
4servings as written
$$typical cost tier

Italian Vegetarian High-protein Budget Family Dinners

Typical price

$2.55 per serving$10.20 for 4

City Store

Typical price: Salefork's estimate of an everyday US shelf price for each ingredient. Pick your city to price it from this week's ad.

Ingredients

9 1/2 oz cherry or grape tomatoes
12 oz spaghetti pasta
8 oz mozzarella pearls
1/3 cup basil
as needed kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (optional)
3 clove garlic
1/3 cup pine nuts (optional)
2 1/2 cups arugula (optional)
2/3 cup pecorino romano (optional)
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Steps

Boil salted water in a large pot and cook the spaghetti until tender according to the package time.
Blend the arugula, basil, garlic, pine nuts, pecorino, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper until mostly smooth.
Halve the tomatoes and mozzarella pearls while the pasta cooks.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water, and return it to the pot.
Stir in the pesto, adding pasta water a little at a time until glossy.
Fold in the tomatoes and mozzarella, then serve immediately.