Pesto Pasta Recipe

RECIPE: https://anitacooks.com/pesto-pasta-recipe/ Italian Pesto Pasta in 20 Minutes. Hi Guys, today I’ll show you how to make an Italian Pesto with just a few ingredients. Then I’ll toss pasta with the delicious pesto. This is dinner in 20 minutes or less. For the pesto we’ll need fresh basil, fresh garlic, nuts, parmesan cheese, pecorino romano cheese and olive oil. For the nuts, Italians use pine nuts or pignoli. As for the cheese, parmesan is made from cow’s milk while pecorino romano is made from sheep’s milk. It has a stronger flavor so we’ll use mostly parmesan and a little pecorino. I have made pesto with all parmesan and it tastes great but adding pecorino makes it even better.

As for the basil. A salad spinner works great for drying any greens so if you have one, use it to get all the water off the basil. Pesto can be spread on toasted bread, added to soups, sandwiches, pasta salad, dips, dressings, pinwheels and pizza. You can make a double batch of this recipe, portion it out and freeze in zip bags. Pull one out whenever you need a quick dinner.

Traditionally, pesto is made in a mortar and pestle. For convenience though, use a food processor. You can use one like this where you can pour in the olive oil slowly. Or a small processor where you can add half the oil, process and add the remaining half. I’ve made smaller
Amounts of pesto in this and it comes out the same as the large machine.

A note about the garlic, some people like that sharp bite of garlic and some don’t. For me, this recipe has the right amount of garlic, you can definitely taste it but it’s not overpowering. I have made pesto with more garlic and enjoyed the sharp bite but you will feel and smell like you ate a head of garlic. So, if you’re a garlic lover, taste the pesto and feel free to add another clove of garlic.

For the pasta, boil water in a large pot. Add salt if you like and the pasta. I’m using angel hair. You can use spaghetti or your favorite pasta. My pasta is done in about 4 minutes. Before draining the pasta, reserve about ½ cup of the water. Now I’ll drain the pasta. I had made the pesto yesterday and used some of it already. This was refrigerated, you can see how bright green it is. Put the drained pasta in a big bowl. Add butter and pesto. Mix it so the butter melts and coats the pasta along with the pesto. Pour ¼ cup of the pasta water and stir to make a creamy sauce. Add more water as necessary. Taste and add salt. That’s all there is to pesto pasta. Serve it with shaved parmesan or grated parmesan. I like the strong taste of pecorino so I grate it on top of my pasta. The pecorino I bought is salty so if you’re using it, don’t over salt your pasta while mixing with the sauce. Wash the basil and make the pesto while the water is boiling for the pasta and this satisfying dish will be done in under 20 minutes.

I hope you guys give this a try and let me know how you liked it in the comments below. Subscribe and I’ll see you next time. Thanks for watching :)