• Prepare a 12 oz. package of gluten free spaghetti noodles (or any noodles if not gluten free) according to package instructions. Drain the pasta once cooked.

  If using gluten free pasta, cook the noodles just until al dente. Gluten free noodles can easily become mushy and it's very important not to overcook them.

For The Pesto:

• Place a small skillet (I love to use a small cast iron skillet) on the stove top and heat to medium-low.
• Add ½ cup unsalted walnuts to the pan and toast on low heat for 5-6 minutes, shaking the skillet occasionally, so that the nuts don't burn.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside once the walnuts are toasted. They will darken slightly and smell fragrant when finished.
• Remove the skin from 2 large cloves of garlic.
• Add half of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse until combined. Add ¼ cup toasted walnuts, 1 clove of garlic, 2 packed cups fresh spinach, ¼ packed cup fresh basil, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil, ¼ tsp. kosher salt, and ⅛ tsp. pepper and pulse until combined.
• Repeat the process again, adding the second half of each ingredient to the food processor until combined.

  If you have a large food processor, you can make the pesto all at once and not in batches.

For The Pesto Sauce:

• Place a skillet on the stove top and heat to medium high. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the skillet.
• After the oil has heated, add the pesto mixture and stir. At this point, add some vegetable broth (or chicken broth if not vegetarian) to 'thin' the pesto out and create a velvety, about ¾ cup of broth. If you want a 'thicker' sauce, add less broth. For a 'thinner' sauce, add more broth. Continue to stir until the sauce has reached your desired consistency.

  If you prefer a creamy pesto sauce, substitute ¼ of the vegetable broth for heavy cream.
• Pour the cooked and drained noodles into the pesto pasta sauce. Toss until coated in the sauce. Feel free to add as many or as few of the noodles as you like.
• To Serve: Place the pesto coated pasta in a bowl. Top with Parmesan cheese, extra walnuts, and minced basil (optional). See copy above for more serving ideas.