Pesto Pasta Skillet

This was fun to make and I enjoyed eating it! I love macaroni noodles, but yeah. This was fairly easy to make. It didn't take that much time and my boyfriend said he'd like me to make it again. That's always a good sign! Most of it was gone the first night. I served it alongside garlic-butter asparagus and garlic bread (both made with vegan margarine). Good stuff. Basil was just what I needed.

Do this recipe in parts:
1. Make pesto first, then place in refrigerator.
2. Cook vegetables and pasta concurrently, then mix together right before serving.

Pesto:
1 1/4 c. fresh basil, packed (cut off the big stems first)
1/4 c. toasted pine nuts (or sunflower seeds, they taste the same)
2 Tb. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
Sea salt to taste

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. I would do the nuts by themselves first and get them kinda paste-y, unless you don't mind little pieces of nuts in your pesto.
2. Refrigerate.

Pesto Pasta:
2 c. dry macaroni
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 - 1 Tb. vegan margarine
1 tsp. garlic

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, over medium, saute onions and garlic in margarine until almost soft.
3. Add chopped tomato and cook through until everything is a nice golden color.

4. Drain the cooked pasta and add to the onion/tomato mixture.
5. Add refrigerated pesto to skillet and stir until all is combined well and heated through. Enjoy!

I'm definitely going to make this again, but I think I'll make it with 2 cups of basil then. I love that stuff!

Four (very big!) servings: 340 calories each