There are good dining hall days (looking at you mac&cheese and General Gao’s chicken) and bad dining hall days where it feels like nothing will cut it. On the days where you’re forced to improvise or when you just want to shake it up, pesto is the best way for doing so.
Massively overlooked, pesto adds some saltiness and a subtle nuttiness to any dish. It is pretty much always available at the condiment bar in Dewick (same bar as the Nutella) and is a great add-on to any meal, even breakfast.
For people who are unsure about how to take advantage of pesto’s powers, I have included some suggestions below. Don’t be afraid to take some risks and craft your own!
Breakfast
Pesto is a great way to give your eggs a burst of flavor. Simply drizzle it on top of scrambled or over-easy eggs and enjoy.
It also gives breakfast sandwiches an extra punch of flavor. My favorite goes something like this: toast an English muffin, spread some pesto on it, layer on crispy bacon, and top with an egg over-easy. You won’t look at breakfast sandwiches the same way again.
Lunch
Photo by Alex Tom
Pesto is great on sandwiches of all kinds. My personal favorite is grilled chicken breast on a whole wheat bun with cheese, lettuce, and, you guessed it, pesto. I highly recommend using the panini press for a while too to melt the cheese and give you sandwich some extra warmth.
If you’re sick of your typical salad dressing, pesto makes for a great substitute. Thick and garlicky, it brings extra flavor to the salad. If you want a more liquid-y consistency, you can drizzle a bit of pesto over the top of your salad and add some oil.
Dinner
Photo by Julia Maguire
If nothing strikes your fancy, pesto pasta is always a good standby. Get a nice bowl of pasta (available for dinner every night), top with pesto and add a chicken breast for some extra protein.
Another good pesto-pasta combination includes adding some vegetables and cheese from the salad bar. Just put the whole thing in the microwave for several seconds (no more than 20), mix it up, and enjoy!
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