Basil Pesto Pasta with Toasted Pine Nuts
A raw, blitzed basil sauce clinging to hot pasta — ready faster than the water takes to boil.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Written
Method
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Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just shy of al dente.
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While the water heats, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until golden and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.
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In a food processor, pulse the basil, garlic, and toasted pine nuts until finely chopped.
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With the machine running, stream in the olive oil until the mixture is a loose, bright green paste.
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Scrape into a bowl, stir in the Parmesan by hand, and season with salt and pepper.
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Before draining the pasta, scoop out ½ cup of the starchy cooking water.
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Toss the hot, drained pasta with the pesto, loosening with splashes of the reserved pasta water until it coats every strand glossy, not gluey.
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Finish with more Parmesan and a crack of black pepper.
Notes
Blitz the pesto raw and never let it near direct heat — the food processor blade generates enough friction warmth on its own, and any more will dull the basil from bright green to a tired olive color and flatten the flavor. Toasting the pine nuts first is what makes a five-minute sauce taste like more than the sum of its parts.
No food processor, or want it more rustic: a mortar and pestle works, pound the garlic and basil to a paste before adding the nuts and cheese. Walnuts are a fine, cheaper stand-in for pine nuts — pound for pound they’re just as good toasted.