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Bon Appétit

Pasta with Chopped Pesto

5.0

(2)

pesto on a cutting board
Ted Cavanaugh

Technically, pesto should be pounded or processed to a paste, but sometimes shortcuts pay off. This chopped version yields a more varied texture and requires nothing more than a cutting board and a knife.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

½

cup walnuts

1

garlic clove

Kosher salt

1½

ounces aged Gouda or Parmesan, grated on the small holes of a box grater (about 1 cup), plus more for serving

2

cups basil leaves

½

cup olive oil, plus more for serving

Freshly ground black pepper

12

ounces dried short ruffled or corkscrew pasta (such as fusilli, gemelli, or campanelle)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°. Toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Let cool.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, smash garlic under the flat side of a chef’s knife in the center of your cutting board. Add a couple of pinches of salt and continue smashing with the side of your knife until garlic and salt form a paste. Scatter toasted nuts over garlic and smash nuts with the flat side of your knife to break into small bits. Sprinkle cheese over nuts and chop until nuts and cheese are the texture of fine breadcrumbs. Transfer to a large bowl. Finely chop basil and add to bowl with nut mixture. Stir in ½ cup oil and season generously with salt and pepper.

    Step 3

    Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving about ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.

    Step 4

    Add hot pasta to bowl with pesto and toss thoroughly to combine. If pasta seems dry, add a splash of pasta cooking liquid to moisten. Taste and season with more salt if needed.

    Step 5

    Top pasta with more grated cheese and drizzle with a little oil.

    Step 6

    Do Ahead: Pesto can be made 3 hours ahead. Pour oil over top instead of stirring into pesto. Store airtight at room temperature.

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Reviews (2)

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  • The best pesto pasta iv'e ever made! Very easy to make, and tastes great.

    • Lucia C

    • United States

    • 5/20/2020

  • This pesto was wonderful. Fresh, casual, un-fussy. The coarse texture is rustic and delightful. I will make this again as long as our fresh basil season lasts. Keeping basil pesto more than a few hours requires some care, this is no exception. I made three days of the garlic-nut-cheese mixture, kept it refrigerated, and added fresh basil and oil to a portion just before serving. I served it over baked cod, and plan to use it over smashed garlic new potatoes, and again with roasted green beans. This pesto even elevated roasted spaghetti squash!

    • Jersey Locavore

    • US/NJ

    • 9/2/2020