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.
Pesto Pasta with Parmesan
There is nothing like the taste of a homemade pasta- talk about comfort food!
Servings 6
Calories 443kcal
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
Calories: 443kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 900mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 666IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 259mg | Iron: 2mg
