They say pesto is the besto! Today I’m sharing one of my favorite simple yet satisfying pasta dishes that takes about twenty minutes to whip up. I added some cauliflower for a vegetable and topped it off with some pan-seared wild caught salmon to make this a well balanced meal that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.

I will note that I’ve made variations of this pesto sauce before — switching up the pine nuts to walnut (more cost efficient) and also by omitting the cheese to make a dairy-free and vegan version. All of the variations I’ve played with still tasted just as good, so you can really tailor the recipe to fit your dietary needs.

Pesto Sauce

• 1 3/4 oz parmesan cheese (optional, omit if dairy-free)

• 1 oz pecorino cheese (optional, omit if dairy-free)

• 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

• 2.5 oz basil, chopped

• ¼ cup pine nuts, walnuts or nut of choice

• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Pasta Dish

• 1 serving pasta of choice (I used brown rice pasta)

• 3/4 cup of chopped cauliflower

• 1/4 lb wild salmon

• 1 tbs olive oil or ghee

• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Combine cheese in blender or food processor and blend until grain like. Remove cheese from bender. Add garlic and nuts to the blender, and blend until paste like almost like peanut butter. Add half the olive oil and pulse 2-3 times. Then add the chopped basil and pulse for about 10 times. Slowly add the rest of the olive oil until mixed in, about 2 pulses.

Cook pasta according to box instructions, adding 3/4 cup chopped cauliflower halfway through. For the salmon, heat a small pan on medium to high heat. Once heated, add the olive oil. Lightly salt the salmon, and place skin side up on the pan cooking roughly for about 3-4 minutes. Flip the salmon so it is skin side down and cook for about another minute or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pesto sauce (about 2tbs per serving) to the pasta and cauliflower using a spatula to gently combine and top it off with the salmon and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.