Chris went to Austin for a business trip this week and business trips are my chance to be lazy in the kitchen because when I'm just cooking for myself, I don't have to impress anyone. So the past few days have been a lot of "Oh hey, I'm just going to eat this salad out of a mixing bowl while watching Rock of Love on Hulu." (I did close the blinds first so the neighbors wouldn't be able to see. I wanted to preserve that last shred of dignity I have left. The last shred of dignity is the most precious.) Or "You know what would be good for lunch? A handful of raisins and a pickle!" Even when you love to cook, sometimes you just don't feel like cooking.
Because raisins with a side of pickles aren't exactly a well-balanced meal, I try to keep things on hand for all those don't-feel-like-cooking days. And one of the things I keep on hand is pesto--I keep my freezer fully stocked at all times with different kinds of pestos. This cilantro jalapeño pesto is one of my favorites. It's a slightly tweaked version of the pesto in my Mushroom & Zucchini Quesadillas. If you love cilantro, you will love this pesto! It has a fresh, bright flavor and, like most pestos, it's super easy to make.
I also keep a lot of pasta on hand! Because pasta + pesto + whatever veggies you happen to have on hand = an easy dinner. Casarecci is my new favorite pasta shape. It's supposed to be best for meat sauces, but I really like it with pesto. It's got enough little nooks for the pesto to stick to it, but not so many nooks that the pesto doesn't distribute evenly. (I spend a lot of time thinking about these things!) Of course, any pasta you have will be just fine.
This is my favorite kind of vegetarian cooking. Kitchen staples combined with fresh produce to make an (almost) effortless meal.
This post was originally published July 18, 2013.

Ingredients
Cilantro Jalapeño Pesto
- 1 c. loosely packed cilantro leaves
- 1 jalapeño pepper seeded and quartered
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ c. raw almonds
- ¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- Salt + pepper to taste
Pasta with Cilantro Jalapeño Pesto, Fresh Corn & Tomatoes
- 8 oz. pasta
- 2 ears corn husked (be sure to remove all of the silk)
- 1 c. halved grape tomatoes
- 1 batch Cilantro Jalapeño Pesto
Instructions
Cilantro Jalapeño Pesto
- Combine cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, almonds, olive oil, and lime juice in food processor. Process until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Pasta with Cilantro Jalapeño Pesto, Fresh Corn & Tomatoes
- Cook the pasta in a large pot or Dutch oven according to package instructions. Two minutes before the pasta is done, drop the corn into the pot. When the pasta is finished cooking, use tongs to remove the corn and set aside. Drain the pasta well and transfer it to a large bowl, then rinse the corn in cold water until it's cool enough to handle.
- Use a knife or corn zipper to remove the kernels from the cob. Toss the pasta, corn, and tomatoes with the Cilantro Jalapeño Pesto and serve.
looks delicious!
Loving this dish! I am a huge pesto fan too, and it is a staple in my kitchen along with pasta {gluten-free} of course. I so know what you mean about loving to cook, but not ALWAYS loving to cook. Those are the evenings we resort to eating cereal and fruit, or maybe some yummy scrambled eggs 🙂
Yeah, as soon as I'm done with recipe development for my book, I am going to relish those cereal and fruit dinners again. 🙂
Yummo, that looks delicious and I love that the jalapeno would give it a little kick (I looooove a bit of spice in my food).
Isn't it great when you're cooking for yourself and you can cook whatever you feel like!
Luckily my husband and I have pretty similar tastes in food, but it's nice to be lazy for a few days. 🙂
This looks like such an amazing recipe! I know the cilantro jalapeno pesto is delicious!
This was the recipe I told you about last week! 😀 I have another pesto recipe to send out tomorrow too.
Right up my alley! This is creative, simple and delicious...a must try! 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Just happened to have all of these ingredients at home and made this for dinner last night.... amazing! Not as spicy as I would have thought, next time I'll add another jalapeno or two, but wonderfully easy and yummy on a 95+ degree evening!
I'm glad you liked it! Jalapeños aren't very spicy, so if you want to add more of a kick, you might want to try a serrano pepper. 🙂
Oh my goodness, I think I must have used a serrano pepper because mine is SPIIIICAYYY! But it's delicious - and perfect cause I love a little heat! I subbed walnuts for almonds and worked great. Can't wait to enjoy this for dinner tonight. 🙂
Oh no! Well, I think that sometimes you can end up with especially spicy jalapeños too. I had one last summer that burned my hands really badly (they hurt for a week!) and also burned my eye because, like a moron, I rubbed my eye after burning my hand.
This has such a light and summery feel. I love it. I'm a huge fan of making different kinds of pestos, and with the jalapeño, I know this would be great.
I will make a pesto out of just about anything. 🙂 And I have too!
Holy cow I have to make this!! Thanks for posting 🙂 #Momdot
Oh man, that sounds so good. lol I am making mac and cheese tonight, but may toss in some chili until I can get the stuff to make this.
Chili mac sounds good to me right now! 😀
So fresh and summery!! Love cilantro jalapeno pesto. Oh my 🙂
This salad would be perfect for dinner tonight! Love it!
This looks so good! Love jalapeno anything!
Pesto, tomatoes and corn sounds like the perfect easy summer meal to throw together. I wish I stocked pesto in my freezer for nights when I don't feel like going to the grocery store and cooking from scratch, but I never seem to make big enough batches to have leftovers...I'll have to do that this year!
I try to keep sauces and pestos in the freezer for emergencies. They definitely come in handy!
wow I love the twist on a pesto with Jalepeno's!! Sounds delicious!!
Kiersten, I have been daydreaming about this recipe since I saw it in my e-mail in-box a couple of days ago. I love everything about it, including your "pasta + pesto + whatever veggies you happen to have on hand = an easy dinner" mentality! That's my kind of cooking - and beats the pants off of raisins and a pickle any day. Absolutely can't wait to make this! Great recipe, killer photos ... as always! Another winner!
Yeah, the whole cookbook has thrown a bit of a wrench into things, but we normally have that kind of pasta + sauce + veggies at least once a week. So many people make vegetarian cooking out to be complicated and intimidating, but it doesn't get easier than that! 🙂
I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was a hit! It was delicious.
Thank you for your comment! I'm glad you liked it. 🙂
I'm loving all of these fresh flavors!
Such a beautiful pasta recipe!
Love the pesto and your picture was so beautiful.
Thank you!
Oooo! Love the sound of this dish! I've never thought of using cilantro in pesto and now I CANNOT wait to try this! Thanks!
Cilantro pesto is one of my favorite kinds of pesto! You definitely need to try it. 🙂
we loved ur Dish...i was looking since a long time for a recipe of pasta with cilantro in it...its very quick and delicious..
I'm glad you enjoyed it--thanks for your comment!
I made this tonight and it was fabulous! I added a little more garlic and Parmesan cheese. Thank you!
I'm glad you liked it--thanks for your comment! 🙂
This is beyond yummy! I saw it this morning and went out to get the ingredients I didn't already have and ..........WOW! This is a new twist on yummy!! Thank you SO much for sharing!
Thank you for your comment - I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I love cilantro but I've got way too much basil to make pesto without using it! Do you think basil will stand up well to the jalapeño in this recipe if I substituted the cilantro? Or do you have a regular basil pesto recipe you can direct me to?
Hi Emily, you could try subbing in basil in this arugula pesto recipe, or making this Thai Basil Pesto. Basil might work with the jalapeño, though!
ok, this is DELISH! My kids have already commented on how cool the pasta looks (and my box of casarecci said that it was for pesto sauces, so good choice). I'm sad I found this at the end of summer, it would have been in the rotation for sure! Thank you for sharing!
I'm glad you enjoyed it!