Pasta With Pesto

Updated Nov. 28, 2023

Pasta With Pesto
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(589)
Notes
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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings.
  • ½cup walnuts or pine nuts
  • Big bunch basil, about 10 stems
  • 2cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste
  • Olive oil as needed
  • Salt and pepper
  • Grated Parmesan to taste
  • 1pound pasta, any shape
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Toast nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking frequently, until fragrant, browned and not burned. Pulse them in a food processor until chopped but not at all powdery.

  2. Step 2

    Wash the basil; dry it in a salad spinner. Put it in the food processor with the garlic and as much oil as you need to allow the machine to do its work. Process, adding salt, pepper and oil as needed. When the pesto is smooth and delicious, stir in or pulse in the cheese.

  3. Step 3

    Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it's tender but not mushy. Dress with the pesto, thinning with a little of the cooking water if necessary. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5
589 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Kudos, Mark for toasting the pine nuts. Not every recipe says to do it, but IMO, it's adds a world of flavor. Walnuts? Too emphatic a taste for me. I also think bow-ties or rotelle are the best because they hold the pesto better than long spaghetti. By the way, I add chicken breast to it - sometimes; however, a simple pesto dish is one of the great pleasures of life. Whoever combined basil, (toasted!) pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and Parmesan is a culinary saint.

I don't dry my basil, I think the little bit of water helps keep the mix loose. And I don't use the pasta water; it's too hot and makes the basil drab colored.

Pesto is from the Italian verb pestare (to pound or crush) pesto can be made from almost any vegetable, this recipe is pesto alla genovese because it has basil another favorite of mine is pesto alla rucola, rucola(arugula) is substituted for basil. to a purist pesto should be pounded with a wood pestle and marble mortar and the nuts pinoli a classic version of pesto alla genovese is Mr Bittman's with the addition of small steamed green beans and boiled potatoes and the pasta is trenette.

I make pesto fairly often and sometimes I gently toast the garlic with the pine nuts before adding it to the basil. It makes for a mellower, less sharp flavor.

Try adding a teaspoon of lemon juice to the pesto to help maintain the vibrant color. Especially works great when freezing too.

Replaced pine nuts with leftover cashew nuts in the fridge. Doubled the amount of garlic as I love them. It turned out to be amazing!

I make pesto often. Yes, use only the leaves of the basil. I love mixing baby arugula with my basil when I have it. This gives the pesto an extra peppery flavor. The leaves should be dry before pulsing. Parmesan should be freshly grated. Fresh garlic--and plenty of it--is mandatory, in my humble opinion. Pine nuts preferred. Extra virgin olive oil, poured slowly at the very end with the food processor on continuous low. After that, you're home free. :) Enjoy!

My original Italian recipe calls for fresh grated pecorino Romano cheese instead of Parmesan. Highly recommended!!

Pine nuts in my basil sauce. But I added about 1 tbsp of additional lightly roasted pine nuts into the final dish + Perco Romano cheese that I buy -- yes -- grated in a bag at Costco. Keep in the freezer. I use Pappardelle pasta (Trader Joe's). And if you REALLY want to cheat -- Kirkland brand @ Costco has their own pesto sauce that is a challenge to walk away from for a quick supper. No, this is not an ad for Costco. Just reality. The best? Always from scratch.

I have used spinach and chard, never basil, too pricey; also never used used pine nuts; same problem as the basil; instead walnuts, almonds

Happened to be in Oregon recently and picked up some hazelnuts at the Eugene Farmers' Market. Used them in pesto. It was a nice variation.

No - just the leaves.

For mine home made pesto, instead of pine nuts i use almonds, just as good, if not better, then pine nuts.

Made this with leftover roasted chicken for dinner the other night. Used garlic scapes instead of cloves. Cherry tomatoes for the side. Heavenly!

I wish this recipe had indicated a suggested amount of oil. I used walnuts and it seemed like it turned out dry so I needed to add quite a bit of oil. I also added about 3/4 T warm water but the consistency wasn’t as “saucy” as I would have liked. I used top level ingredients. Very good idea to toast the garlic before putting into blender as suggested.

I love this recipe and adjust all of the ingredients to taste, since the strength of garlic can change over the course of the season. Pine nuts are a must, and good-quality olive oil. I suggest rotini for the noodles, as the tight spirals hold the sauce so well. Incomparably delicious!

If you don't have pine nuts, use almonds (not walnuts). If you wash basil, it significantly looses flavor. Get clean basil form a trusted source. Use 4 cloves of garlic, to serve 4. Use the best olive oil you can get. Parmesan or Pecorino is a matter of taste and variation.

My mom regularly made us pasta pesto with lightly-sauteed bay scallops. Yum even for younger kids!

It is a big mistake to use a food processor; the pesto become 'gluggy'. Though it's more time intensive, you need to use a mortar and pestle to get a perfect consistency (it really makes a significant difference in taste and texture). I would never use walnuts. 15% pine nuts, 45% basil, 20% olive oil, 20% parmesan, some butter, salt and a clove of garlic. Grind it all up (pine nuts, garlic and salt first, then basil, then oil and lastly the butter and cheese).

Good recipe but in order to keep basil bright green I think blanching is a necessary step. I used trifle pasta from Genoa which is ideal for the sauce.

We have an abundance of parsley and basil in the garden, along with walnuts in the freezer, so this became a flavorful and easy supper. With the larger walnut pieces, I may toast them in the countertop oven next time rather than in a sauté pan. But it was all good, and definitely improved with a squeeze of fresh lemon.

I’ve made pesto pasta for years. In my version I place the drained pasta onto a half loaf of room temperature goat cheese and a 2x2x2 cube of my homemade pesto, with the reserved pasta water used for achieving the right amount of liquidity. I mix the pasta and goat cheese and pasta water and then sprinkle red pepper flakes (to taste) and serve. Even just writing about this has me salivating.

Delicious! Everyone loves it! Enhances pasta! I hope everyone loves it.

Hard to improve on such a great and simple recipe, but, I do add some chopped sundried tomatoes over the top. I love the zestiness they add.

for those of us who lack a garden, buying fresh basil is less expensive if you buy a live plant in the grocery store. it can last for weeks , depending on how much you use, and costs less than five dollars.

To lighten the consistency and digestibility I always add chicken broth. The pesto will not brown or dull and it moves into the folds and spaces of the pasta better. Have no ratio to offer but my guess is 2:1 oil:chicken broth.

add some butter at the tossing stage, it is divine~

my Italian cousin always blanches the basil in boiling water very briefly. locks in that brilliant green color and takes away a hint of bitterness. no need to dry. use only enough olive oil to bring it together and no need for pasta water, the pesto will cling to each strand of pasta.

Hand chopped the pesto and mixed with olive oil in a bowl instead of using a food processor. It creates a more textured pesto that does a better job of highlighting the different ingredients.

Added roasted cherry tomatoes: Place the cherry tomatoes on a baking tray with a coating of olive oil. Make sure there are no dry spots where cherry tomatoes can stick. Brush some oil on top of the tomatoes too, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until burst and slightly charred. Remove from the oven a few times to shake around (this will help them to roast evenly and avoid sticking) but be careful when you open the oven!

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