Photo: Superchilum · CC BY-SA 4.0
Pesto Pasta (Pasta al Pesto)
Fresh basil blended with pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano, and olive oil, tossed through hot pasta — the Genoese classic. It is never cooked, only warmed by the pasta, so the green color and aroma stay vivid in this fast one-plate dish.
Ingredients
- Pasta · trofie, linguine, or spaghetti200 g
- Salt · for the pasta water1 tbsp
- Basil pesto
- Fresh basil leaves · about 2-3 cups50 g
- Pine nuts · or walnuts3 tbsp
- Garlic1 clove
- Parmigiano cheese · finely grated40 g
- Olive oil · extra virgin0.5 cup
- Salt0.5 tsp
- Black pepper · a pinch
Steps
- ⏲ 2 min
Wash the basil and dry it completely. Lightly toast the pine nuts in a dry pan to bring out their aroma.
- ⏲ 1 min 30 sec
In a blender (or mortar), combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese, and salt, drizzling in the olive oil until smooth. Blend in short bursts so the heat does not dull the color.
- ⏲ 9 min
Boil the pasta in well-salted water for 1 minute less than the package time. Reserve half a cup of pasta water.
- ⏲ 1 min
Off the heat, toss the drained pasta with the pesto in a pan or large bowl, loosening with pasta water. Never cook the pesto.
When the sauce coats the pasta creamily, plate it and finish with extra cheese and pepper.
Tips & Variations
Variations
- Classic Genovese: Boil sliced potato and green beans with the pasta and serve together.
- Nut swaps: No pine nuts? Walnuts or cashews work just as well.
- Basil + spinach: Mellow the basil by blending in some spinach.
- Add protein: Top with grilled chicken or shrimp for a full meal.
Tips
- Never heat the pesto — warm it only with the residual heat to keep the green color and aroma.
- Dry the basil thoroughly; wet basil makes a watery pesto.
- A ladle of pasta water emulsifies the sauce so it clings silkily to the pasta.
- Store leftover pesto with a thin film of olive oil on top to slow browning.
The basics behind this dish
- Fresh Herbs: Hardy, Delicate, and When to Add ThemAroma is volatile, so timing is the whole game. What separates a hardy herb from a delicate one, why the stems are worth more than you think, and why basil should never meet a knife.
- Dough and Gluten: When to Build It and When to Avoid ItThe same flour and water becomes a dumpling wrapper or a tender pancake. The difference is whether you built gluten or avoided it — and kneading and resting do different jobs.
- Why Sauces Split: Emulsions and Pan SaucesA cream sauce breaking and a carbonara scrambling are the same failure. Temperature and emulsifiers — plus how to bring a split sauce back.
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