Pistachios are a crunchy sub for basil in my pasta with pistachio pesto ~ it’s my new favorite quick healthy dinner!
Pasta with pistachio pesto is a hearty riff on classic pesto Genovese, and it turns a bowl of spaghetti into a super delicious meal. This is my kind of pasta. If I were living all alone I’d eat like this every day.
how to make pistachio pesto
Even if you don’t have a full sized food processor I highly recommend at least a smaller one, they aren’t expensive and I use them for pestos, salad dressings, chopping nuts and other ingredients quickly and efficiently.
- For the easy pesto I use unsalted, roasted in the shell pistachios (shelled of course!)
- garlic
- parsley
- salt
- lots of fresh cracked black pepper,
- and good Parmesan cheese.
- You could also use pecorino or Romano if you want.
- Load it in your processor and pulse/process until finely ground.
The nutty pesto gets tossed into pasta with olive oil, lemon juice and zest.
Nutty pestos are a delicious twist on tradition ~ and popular in many parts of Italy. Instead of starting with basil, they let the nuts take the lead. Think toasted walnuts, almonds, or pistachios blended into a rich, earthy sauce that’s perfect for tossing with pasta or spooning over just about anything grilled.
traditional Italian nut based pestos
Pesto di pistacchi (Sicily): made with pistachios, olive oil, and sometimes a touch of lemon or mint.
Pesto di noci (Liguria): a creamy walnut pesto made with garlic, milk-soaked bread, and Parmesan ~ no basil in sight. Traditionally served with pansotti (a kind of stuffed pasta).
Pesto di mandorle (southern Italy): an almond-based pesto, often paired with sun-dried tomatoes or fresh ricotta.
more pesto recipes here
- Pasta with Sun Dried Tomato and Almond Pesto
- Pasta with Walnut Sauce
- Green Goddess Pesto
- Lemony Artichoke Pesto Recipe
- Chive and Parsley Pesto
- Spaghetti con Pignoli Arrosti (with Roasted Pine Nuts)
Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pistachio nuts, shelled., Buy them in their shell, if possible
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 fistful of fresh parsley leaves
- 1/4 cup grated good quality Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano
- a pinch of sea salt
- as much fresh cracked black pepper as you can stand
- 6 oz whole grain pasta
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- zest of 1 large lemon
- a squeeze of lemon juice, don’t overdo it
- parsley and chopped pistachios for garnish
Instructions
- Put the first 6 items into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the nuts are finely ground, but there is still some texture to them.
- Cook the pasta in lots of salted water until is is just al dente.
- Drain it but don’t drain every last drop of water off of the pasta, leave it dripping wet. Reserve a little on the side) Add the oil to the pasta and toss well. Grate in the zest of the lemon, and add a squeeze of the juice. Toss the pasta with 3/4 cup of your pistachio pesto. (You will have some leftover for another batch of pasta, keep it covered in the refrigerator until needed) If your pasta seems a bit too dry, add in a little extra oil or a little extra pasta water. Don’t overdo either. Check the seasonings, if you cooked your pasta in nicely salted water it shouldn’t need more.
- Serve immediately with some extra parsley and chopped pistachios as garnish.
Notes
Nutrition
