Pasta al Pesto
With a simple homemade pesto, this pasta al pesto is the perfect light pasta dish that can be prepared in under 20 minutes.
Servings 6
Calories 417kcal
Ingredients
- 12 oz linguine
- 2 cups basil (2 oz or 56 grams)
- ⅓ cup pine nuts, toasted
- 2 garlic cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta to al dente and save ½ cup of pasta water.
- Add basil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt to blender or food processor and blend until thoroughly combined.
- With blender or food processor on, slowly add olive oil and lemon juice until well combined. Add the Parmesan and blend for 10 more seconds until just combined.
- Add the cooked pasta to a mixing bowl. Add the pesto and ¼ cup of reserved pasta water, tossing to combine. Add more water if still too thick. Top with some Parmesan and fresh basil.
Notes
- Use freshly grated Parmesan to finish the sauce. Never buy pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it contains wood pulp. Blocks of Parmesan cheese are also cheaper.
- Use freshly squeezed lemon juice as it tastes better and is cheaper. No store-bought bottle.
- Make sure the water you are cooking the pasta in is salted as some of the flavor comes from it.
- Cook the pasta until just al dente as the pasta will cook more when tossing in sauce.
- Don't heat your pesto as it takes away from some of the aroma/flavor. Just add to the hot pasta.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 48mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g