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5.0 from 27 votes

Arugula Pesto with Pasta

Any variety of arugula will work, as will any other peppery green for that matter; dandelion greens or cress are great substitutes. And of course basil or parsley work, too. As for the pasta, if you don't feel like making your own, any store-bought will do. I'd choose orecchiette, fusilli or gemelli.

Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 36 kcal
Course: Main Course , Condiments
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

PESTO
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts, chopped
  • Salt, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons grated cheese (I like pecorino)
  • About 2 cups chopped arugula
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
  • olive oil (use the good stuff)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Put the garlic and pine nuts, plus a pinch of salt, into the mortar and pound it until the bits no longer jump out of the mortar. Add some of the cheese and some of the arugula a little at a time and keep pounding and mixing with the pestle. Keep doing this until you have a pretty good paste. Grind in the lemon juice, then drizzle in a little olive oil and keep grinding and pounding. Keep doing this, little by little, until the pesto is the consistency you want: You'll need between 1/4 and 1 cup, depending on how loose you want the sauce.
ALTERNATE METHOD
  1. Put the pine nuts, garlic, salt, cheese, arugula and lemon juice into a food processor and buzz into a paste. You will need to scrape down the sides of the food processor a couple times. Then, drizzle in the olive oil with the motor running until you have a sauce the consistency you want; loose for pasta, tight for bread.
  2. Cover the pesto with a layer of olive oil, or set plastic wrap directly on the pesto's surface (this prevents the arugula from turning brown), and set it aside at room temperature before eating.

Notes

  • Drink a dry rosé or a crisp white wine with this. For beers, go with a pale ale, a session IPA or a wheat beer. And actually, this is pretty good with macro beers like Bud and Coors, too.
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Nutrition Information

Calories 36kcal (2%) Carbohydrates 1g (0%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 3g (5%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Cholesterol 3mg (1%) Sodium 18mg (1%) Potassium 26mg (1%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 28IU (1%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 23mg (2%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 36

% Daily Value*

Calories 36kcal 2%
Carbohydrates 1g 0%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Cholesterol 3mg 1%
Sodium 18mg 1%
Potassium 26mg 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 28IU 1%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 23mg 2%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.