Pasta with nut pesto

February 6, 2020 Published by Dina

If you follow me on social media you may have noticed that I have been busy creating images for an online food photo challenge in the last couple fo weeks. It has taken me outside of my comfort zone which is a good thing, it’s easy to settle into a routine so stretching out a bit and trying new things has been fun.

I do however, loved cooking first so I made a bunch of fresh pasta dishes and here is one recipe that is easy and delicious and I am happy to share. I made fresh pasta but you don’t have to, store bought good dried pasta would be fine as well, and I use either spaghetti or fettuccini for this recipe.

The pasta is tossed with pesto made with a combination of nuts, garlic, parsley and olive oil. I seldom make it twice exactly the same. I add lemon zest, hot pepper flake, parmesan, basil, variety of nuts, whatever inspire me that day. I have been making this for years, originally adapted from Laura Calder’s recipe on the food network or from one of her fabulous books.

Pasta with nut pesto

Recipe by Dina Honke
Servings

2

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes
Calories

n/a

kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 oz dried pasta (about 2 oz per person)

  • Pesto
  • 1/4 cup pistachios

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts

  • 1 garlic clove

  • A handful of flat leaf parsley

  • Grated zest of 1/2 a lemon

  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
  • Add salt, then the pasta and cook until al dente or according to package directions. If you have fresh pasta it only takes 2-3 min to cook.
  • While the pasta is cooking toast the nuts in a skillet until fragrant, being careful not to burn.
  • Place nuts in a food processor together with garlic and process until chopped but not a paste. I like some texture in this pesto.
  • Add parsley and lemon zest and process until chopped.
  • Add the oil and process to blend.
  • Remove from processor and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • When the pasta is cooked drain, add some of the pesto and toss it together.
  • Serve with shaved parmesan.

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