This pistachio pesto pasta is beyond simple to make and tastes absolutely delicious!
If you’re as much of a pesto fiend as I am you are in for a TREAT today 😄 Follow me…
Pistachio Pesto
Pistachios are one of my all-time favourite nuts. They of course work perfectly straight out of the bag and into my mouth, but they also work great in a pesto too. Here I’m subbing them for what would normally be pine nuts in a classic basil pesto. I also love adding in some ricotta for a lovely creamy pesto!
Creamy Pesto Ingredients
- Basil – fresh basil and lots of it!
- EVOO – must be extra virgin olive oil. It has a more powerful flavour than regular olive oil and gives you that classic pesto flavour.
- Parmesan – make sure it is freshly grated.
- Ricotta – full-fat will give you a richer, fuller flavour.
- Pistachios – shelled and unsalted.
- Garlic – a small clove is all you need.
- Salt & Pepper – season generously to taste.
To make the pesto, I typically just bung it all in at the same time. If you’re concerned about the texture of the nuts, you can pulse them first and then add everything else in.
Process shots: add everything to food processor (photo 1), blend until smooth (photo 2).
Pistachio Pesto Pasta
Alongside the pasta, I love adding some roasted cherry tomatoes. The sauce is quite rich and creamy, so the pops of sweetness from the tomatoes works really nicely. Plus, you get all those lovely juices in the base of the baking dish.
Starchy Pasta Water
This is a key ingredient that helps thin out the pesto and create the sauce. The pesto will be fairly thick at the start, but the pasta water will help transform it into a silky, glossy sauce. Just work it in the pesto a splash at a time so you don’t go overboard. Also, it’s important to only collect the water at the very end so it’s nice and starchy (more starch = creamier sauce).
Mixing in the pesto
Don’t mix the pasta and pesto in a pan over heat, the basil will burn and the pesto will go greasy. Use a large mixing bowl away from the heat (the leftover heat from the cooked pasta will keep everything warm, as will the pasta water).
Process shots: add tomatoes to baking with oil, salt and pepper (photo 1), roast (photo 2), add pesto and pasta to bowl (photo 3), mix with pasta water (photo 4).
Pistachio Pesto Pasta FAQ
What kind of pasta should I use?
Any you like! I typically do a long-cut pasta, but to shoot this I used a shape similar to Ziti.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can definitely make the pesto ahead of time. Just add to a bowl or jar and cover the top in oil (to stop the pesto oxidising) then tightly store in the fridge.
Do I have to add the tomatoes?
I find these add a necessary balance to the pesto so I highly recommend adding them.
Serving Pistachio Pesto Pasta
You’ll want to serve the pasta up right away so it’s still warm. I love squeezing over some lemon juice, just to brighten up the dish. I also sometimes add burrata for some extra creaminess, although this is totally optional.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this pistachio pesto pasta shall we?!
How to make Pistachio Pesto Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)
Creamy Pistachio Pesto Pasta
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Equipment
- Small Baking Dish (for tomatoes)
- Fine Cheese Grater (for parmesan)
- Food Processor and Spatula (for pesto)
- Large Pot & Colander (for pasta)
- Large Mixing Bowl (for combining)
Ingredients
Pesto
- 2x small bunches of Fresh Basil (60g/2oz)
- 80ml / 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or as needed
- 80g / 1/3 cup Ricotta
- 45g / 1/3 cup shelled Pistachios
- 30g / 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 small clove of Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste
Pasta
- 400g / 14oz uncooked Pasta of choice
- 400g / 14oz Cherry Tomatoes (see notes)
- 1/2 Lemon
- 1 ball of Burrata (optional – see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
- Add the tomatoes to a suitably-sized baking dish and toss with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until they begin to wilt/burst with the juice starting to leak out.
- Add the pasta to well-salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and collect a cup of the leftover pasta water (do this just before draining so it’s at its starchiest). Try and match this step to when the tomatoes finish.
- Meanwhile, place all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is well-blended. Blitz in a drizzle more oil to thin it out if you need to.
- Tip the drained pasta in to a large mixing bowl, then add in the pesto alongside a splash of the starchy pasta water (I start off with ~1/4 cup). Give it a really good mix, adding in more starchy pasta water as needed to create a silky/glossy sauce that clings to the pasta. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
- I like to serve up right away with a squeeze of lemon juice and the roasted tomatoes on top (plus all the excess juice in the baking dish). The burrata is optional, but you can slice it open and steal some of the centre for an extra creamy finish (I just roughly dot it over when serving).
Video
Notes
b) Mixing – Don’t mix the pasta over heat, the basil will burn and the pesto will go greasy. Use a large mixing bowl away from the heat (the leftover heat from the cooked pasta will keep everything warm, as will the pasta water).
c) Burrata – This is optional is you want the pasta extra creamy. You don’t have to mix it through the pasta, just dot some over the pasta when you serve and it roughly mixes in as you eat. If you are using burrata, makes sure it’s at room temp. You can gently rinse in warm water to speed this up if you need to.
d) Tomatoes – The sauce is quite rich, so the pops of sweetness from the tomatoes balances everything out nicely. Plus you get the added juices which are lovely poured over the pasta at the end.
e) Calories – Whole recipe divided by 4 without burrata.
Nutrition
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