JUICY Pesto Pasta!
User Reviews
5
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Servings
3 - 4 people
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Italian-American Fussion
JUICY Pesto Pasta!
Description
JUICY Pesto Pasta emphasizes balancing texture and flavor by mixing cooked pasta with pesto and reserved pasta water. The added pasta water thins the sauce slightly, preventing the pesto from feeling dry or pasty, and ensuring an even, glossy coating. The favored pastas include ziti, penne, and spaghetti, chosen for their ability to hold the sauce well. The tender pasta combined with herb-rich pesto and finished with Parmesan creates a satisfying medley of textures and flavors.
The preparation involves boiling salted water for cooking the pasta, scooping out some of the starchy water just before draining, and then combining the pasta in a separate bowl with the pesto and some of this water. Tossing the pasta off the heat prevents the basil in the pesto from darkening and maintains its vibrant green color.
JUICY Pesto Pasta is best served immediately to enjoy its fresh and vibrant flavor. It can be paired with simple sides or served as a main dish. Optional finishing touches like a squeeze of lemon juice can add brightness if desired.
For storing leftovers, keep them in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Reheating is not recommended as it can discolor the basil and alter the fresh flavor; instead, enjoy the pesto pasta at room temperature for the best taste experience.
Ingredients
- 1 pesto Note 1, homemade, quantity as needed
- 300 - 350 g / 10 - 12 oz pasta ziti, penne and spaghetti are my favourites, Note 2, of choice
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup pasta cooking water
- Parmesan Cheese for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the salt.
- Add pasta and cook for the length of time per the packet.
- Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of of the pasta cooking water.
- Drain pasta in a colander, leave it for a minute.
- Transfer pasta to a bowl (do not use pasta cooking pot, too hot).
- Add pesto and 1/4 cup of pasta water. Toss to coat pasta in pesto, adding more water if required to make pasta silky and saucy, rather than dry and sticky.
- Taste, add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parmesan.
Notes
- The recipe works with homemade or store-bought pesto; store-bought pesto tends to be more concentrated, so use less.
- Choose ziti or penne for better sauce adherence; spaghetti is a suitable alternative.
- Use 300g pasta for stronger pesto flavor coating; up to 350g if you prefer more pasta relative to sauce.
- Avoid tossing pesto pasta in a hot pan to prevent basil from turning black.
- Leftovers keep best refrigerated in a very airtight container and should be eaten at room temperature rather than reheated.
- Optionally, a squeeze of lemon juice can brighten the flavors before serving.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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