Pesto Pasta

Name: Pesto Pasta: Classic Spaghetti with Basil Pesto
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Long pasta (spaghetti, bavette, linguine, tagliatelle) 200 g; Water for cooking the pasta 2 l; Salt for the pasta water 7 g per 1 l of water; Young green basil 1 bunch; Parmesan 50 g; Garlic 1 clove; Pine nuts or cedar nuts 1 tbsp (11 g); Olive oil as needed; Sea salt to taste

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10 mins

In summer, when there are plenty of vegetables and herbs, I make pesto pasta often. It is an extremely simple dish: the sauce is ready by the time the water boils and the spaghetti (or any other pasta you like) is cooked. In Italy the traditional version is Pesto alla genovese, a Ligurian sauce of fresh green basil ground in a mortar. Naturally, the Genoese consider themselves the founders of the dish and are rather dismissive of “variations”, and even of sauce made from basil that was not grown in Genoa.

For the less discerning eater, the shape of the pasta does not matter. Long shapes close to noodles are preferred though: Ligurian bavette, linguine, tagliatelle. Classic spaghetti works perfectly well, as it is the most common and easy to find.

The sauce is said to need seven ingredients. The base is young green basil leaves without any minty note, the best extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts (pignoli) or the more affordable cedar nuts, two cheeses, Pecorino and Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic, a very important ingredient, and coarse sea salt. In practice, especially outside Liguria, the ingredients differ considerably: some are left out or replaced with more available ones.

9 ingredientsTo the recipe

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Ingredients

2 servings

Long pasta (spaghetti, bavette, linguine, tagliatelle) 200 g
Water for cooking the pasta 2 l
Salt for the pasta water 7 g per 1 l of water
Young green basil 1 bunch
Parmesan 50 g
Garlic 1 clove
Pine nuts or cedar nuts 1 tbsp
(11 g)
Olive oil as needed
Sea salt to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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It is crucial to use the freshest, best-quality ingredients for the sauce. Pesto pasta is made with a sauce that is not heated. Before making the sauce, put a pot of salted water on the heat and start cooking the pasta, so that the spaghetti or other pasta is ready by the time the sauce is done.
If you have a mortar and pestle, it is better to use it. Grinding the basil leaves with the other ingredients makes the sauce smoother and more delicate. Even today, though, a blender is used most often. Wash the basil and pat it dry. Pick off all the green leaves and put them in the blender. Add peeled pine nuts or cedar nuts and a pinch of coarse sea salt.
Authentic pesto recipes use a mix of two cheeses, Pecorino and Parmigiano Reggiano. Most often people use only Parmesan, which is easy to find and of excellent quality. For finer grinding, grate the Parmesan first. Peel a large garlic clove and add it to the blender bowl. Blend all the ingredients.
The thickness of the sauce is easily adjusted with the amount of olive oil. Pesto pasta should be fairly “dry”, so do not make the sauce too runny. To begin with, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to the sauce and stir. The consistency of pesto is similar to thick honey. You can add more olive oil.
By the time the pesto is ready, the pasta should be cooked al dente; the cooking time is always given on the package. Drain the pasta in a colander. Transfer it to a deep bowl, add 1-1.5 tbsp of pesto and toss.
Put the pesto pasta on plates, spread the remaining sauce over the top and garnish with a sprig of basil. The dish is ready to serve, so do not let it cool. While eating, gently mix the pasta with the sauce. It is easy, as pesto spreads readily.
Fairly common pesto variations use cheeses other than the traditional ones. The classic proportion is said to be one third Fiore Sardo and two thirds Parmigiano. In practice even Grana Padano is used. Basil leaves with a minty aroma are often blanched before use. “Similar” recipes use unconventional additions, even beans and potatoes. Pine nuts are replaced with cedar nuts, cashews or even walnuts, which is especially common in jarred sauces.