You can make this pesto pasta as easy as you want. Buy the pasta and the pesto. Boil the pasta, drain and smother with pesto. Easy 10 minute dinner. No judgement. I do it the easy way often. But….. in the Gourmet version there’s a little more time involved but your tastebuds will dance a tarantella. (For the curious, that’s an Italian folk dance with lots of spinning and tambourines.) Basically, it’s worth the extra work those times you can afford it.

Do you want red sauce or pesto?" he asks from the kitchen. "Aaron?" I try. He smiles. "Yes?" "Pesto," I say. I walk toward the kitchen. It's 2025, a man I've never met is my boyfriend, and I live in Brooklyn. "Pesto is what I wanted, too."

Rebecca Serle, Chapter 3 Tweet

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Pesto Pasta with Parmesan

There is nothing like the taste of a homemade pasta- talk about comfort food!

Prep Time28

Cook Time6

resting and drying time1 30

Total Time2 4

Course: lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: pasta, pesto

Servings:

Calories: 443kcal

Author: The Nerdy Gourmet

Equipment

pasta maker or rolling pin and a touch more patience

Ingredients

Homemade Pasta

1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp water luke warm
1 tbsp olive oil

Pesto

2 cups basil fresh leaves, no stems
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup parmesan reggiano grated
1/4 cup pecorino cheese grated

Garnish

1/2 cup parmesan reggiano grated

Instructions

Homemade Pasta

Mix all the pasta ingredients together. Knead for 5 minutes. Let rest 30 minutes.
Using a pasta machine, make angel hair or spaghetti noodles. If doing this by hand, roll the dough out to less than 1/8". Cut into fine noodles.
Lay out or hang noodles to dry.

Pesto

Chop the basil and pine nuts into fine bits. In a bowl, combine the basil, nuts, olive oil, salt, parmesan and pecorino cheeses. (Alternatively, you can throw everything into a food processor and emulsify. I like hand chopping bigger pieces for more individual flavors and it's a more authentic Italian treat.)
When ready, boil a large stock pot with water. Add a dash of salt and noodles. Boil until noodles are tender and cooked through, about 6 minutes, but this depends on how thick or thin your noodles are.
Drain. Top with pesto and garnish with parmesan. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Nutrition

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Authentic Pesto Pasta with Parmesan