Pesto Recipe and Perfect Pesto Pasta

pine nuts

🥗Healthier: walnuts

💰Cheaper: sunflower seeds

Walnuts provide healthy fats and are more affordable.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast is lower in calories and adds a cheesy flavor.

Toast pine nuts in a pan for a few minutes until golden, being careful not to burn them.

In a food processor, pulse together toasted pine nuts and garlic.

Add salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the food processor.

Incrementally add basil and spinach to the food processor, pulsing until blended.

Slowly add olive oil (1/2 to 3/4 cup) while blending until desired smoothness is reached.

Transfer pesto to a bowl and mix in freshly grated Parmesan cheese by hand.

Cook pasta according to package instructions and reserve some pasta water before draining.

Do not rinse the pasta; return it to the pot.

Add pesto to the pasta and stir, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time to reach desired consistency.

Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens