Easy Pine Nut and Pesto Pasta

Words and photos by Brendan Leonard

I’ve done a few thousand miles of living off a bicycle, and I’m focused on four things when it comes to food (as I’m sure you are): lots of calories, light weight, low bulk, and not spending two hours making dinner after I’ve already spent eight hours pedaling my bike.

This recipe is all four of those things. Seriously, your idiot roommate from college who couldn’t manage to replace the toilet paper in the bathroom, get to class on time, or make proper macaroni and cheese from a box could handle this recipe. It may sound fancy, but it’s not hard to make.

Basically if you can pee all by yourself, you can make this stuff. And it will probably impress the folks you’re bikepacking with, because it’s a nice, savory pasta with the super-protein and minerals of a big fistful of pine nuts. Plus, you don’t have to cart in a jar of sauce to make it. It’s high-calorie, perfect for a dinner after a long day of biking, and before the next long day of biking.

Makes:

Enough for two hungry people

Ingredients:

• 1 0.5-ounce package powdered basil pesto pasta mix (see below)
• 1 ounce olive oil
• 8 ounces fusilli pasta
• 1 cup pine nuts

You can buy powdered pesto sauce mix in about any store. These are the two most common brands, the Simply Organic Sweet Basil Pesto on the left, and the McCormick on the right. Knorr also makes one. Each will set you back between $1-2.

Preparation:

• Estimate enough water to cover pasta (probably 32 ounces or so) and bring it to a boil.
• Add pasta, return to boil, cover pot, and reduce heat to low.
• Cook pasta for 5 minutes, turn off heat, and let soak for another 5 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
• Stir in olive oil and pesto mix.
• After pesto is blended into pasta evenly, add pine nuts and stir in.
• Enjoy.

For more recipes like this one, check out Brendan’s new cookbook (with co-author Anna Brones), Best Served Wild. Also, if you don’t already, make sure to follow Brendan’s always entertaining Instagram @Semi_rad.

“Even when you’re miles from a full spice rack and only have a single-burner backpacking stove to work with, you can—and should—eat well. Best Served Wild offers up good back country food meant to be shared with friends around an open campfire. Adventure writer Brendan Leonard and food writer Anna Brones team up to bring you veggie-focused recipes for taking your backcountry food game beyond freeze-dried backpacking meals and brick-like energy bars. They share recipes for everything from single day adventures to overnight trips to multi-day outings—real food for real adventures.”