Pasta is lazy weeknight comfort food. Jarred sauce is the laziest version. And for a while that annoyed me.
I hate red sauce. It makes finding a jarred option impossible. Most white sauces taste like milk and regret. Most pestos taste like pine nuts you forgot to buy. I have struggled with this for years.
Then I found Sauz Lemon Pepper Pesto.
It stopped me mid-stir. It tastes like the kitchen of that Italian spot downtown opened its doors and handed you the secret jar. Creamy. Zippy. Expensive. I have not bought another brand since.
It Is Not Your Grandma’s Pesto
You know the red stuff. Sauz made waves with its Hot Honey Marinara and Savory Garlic Marinara. Those are good. Fine. But the new kid in town is white. No basil. No pine nuts.
Instead it is olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano. Lemon juice. Lemon peel. Garlic. Black pepper.
That’s it basically. A white pesto launched last fall. It hits different in the heat because the lemon cuts through the summer sweat. But I will eat it in January too. Don’t judge.
It costs twenty-five dollars for two jars. I wish it was four. I go through these things dangerously fast.
Why It Works
I made it with a new shape of pasta. I don’t even remember the brand now. Probably doesn’t matter.
The process is stupidly simple. Boil noodles in one pot. Warm the pesto in another. Toss them.
The garlic hits you first. Warm. Savory. Then the cheese brings the weight. Rich. Real cheese. Then the lemon pops. It’s a shock. A good shock. The black pepper lingers at the back. It reminds me of that alfredo from the place we went for my anniversary. If that place used more citrus. Which it doesn’t. Which is fine because now I have this jar.
The company suggests grilled cod or avocado toast. You can do that. I put it on a sandwich. It works there too.
Where to buy: Sauz Lemon Pepper Pesto — $24.99 (2 count)
You don’t have to cook from scratch to eat well. You just have to stop buying the swill.
The best part is that you can close the cupboard door and feel like you’ve already won dinner.
