Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta
Welcome to a bowl of summery joy!
Guys, this Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta is incredibly delicious, delightfully seasonal, vegetarian and well…easy! I promise! Entirely doable even for busy weeknights!
Once you see how quickly you can whip up your own with just a few simple ingredients like pine nuts, garlic, fresh basil, Parmesan and olive oil, I really think you’ll never go back to store-bought pesto again!
It’s so bright and fresh and flavorful!
To be completely honest, I’ve never been the hugest pesto fan but I think that’s just because I never really had good pesto. But after one (actually many) bites of this green gorgeousness, I’m officially a pesto convert and now I can’t wait to make this again!
Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta
Makes about 1 ½ cups of pesto; with spaghetti serves 6-8 people
You will need a food processor for this.
Ingredients
½ cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
2 large bunches fresh basil leaves (about 6 cups worth)
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for pasta water
16-ounce box of dried pasta—I used linguini
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place pine nuts on a small rimmed baking sheet and cook for 5-7 minutes, until golden brown. Set nuts aside to cool for at least 10 minutes (you could totally make these a day ahead and keep covered at room temperature)
2. Place the nuts along with the garlic and Parmesan in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the basil and with the motor running, slowly stream in the olive oil, continuing to process until the pesto is mostly smooth with only some green flecks not fully incorporated. Pulse in the 1 teaspoon of salt and set aside.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the manufacturer’s directions until it is al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta. In a large bowl, toss the pasta with the pesto and butter and ¼ cup of the pasta water, adding more of the water until the pasta is glossy and well coated with the sauce. Serve immediately with extra parmesan on the side.
4. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for several days and reheated in the microwave.
Enjoy!
Note: Recipe adapted from an old issue of Bon Appétit Magazine. I tinkered with proportions and techniques.
