Easy Pasta al Pesto with Lemon and Butter
This Easy Pasta al Pesto with Lemon and Butter is one of the most well-known, yet simple, Italian dishes bursting with the flavors of fresh basil, extra-virgin olive oil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and garlic. And, I have added a couple not-so-traditional ingredients here, fresh lemon juice and creamy butter, to bring this already perfect dish up a notch. Your weeknight dinners will never be the same!
Servings: 6 servings
Equipment
- Cheese grater (optional)
Ingredients
For the Pesto:
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, fairly packed
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil + more for finishing
- 1 heaping tsp chopped garlic
- ¼ tsp salt, or to taste
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup grated parmigiano cheese + more for finishing
- 2 Tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese + more for finishing
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- Juice of 1 lemon, about 2-3 Tbsp
For the Rest:
- 1 pound pasta + salt for pasta water (any shape will work!)
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon (optional)
Instructions
- Prep all ingredients according to specifications above.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Toast pine nuts: Add pine nuts to a small skillet and place it over medium-low heat. Heat pine nuts until lightly browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not walk away! Pine nuts (or any nut, for that matter) can turn from toasted to burned very quickly; so, close monitoring is a must. Once toasted, remove them from heat and let them cool.¼ cup pine nuts
- This next step is optional to reduce the possibility of the pesto turning brown: place the basil leaves in boiling water for a quick 10 seconds, then immediately plunge them into ice water. Next, lay the leaves out between two sheets of paper towels and let them dry completely before proceeding with the recipe.2 cups fresh basil leaves,
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook the pasta. Use only about 3 quarts water. (See NOTE below.)
- Meanwhile, add the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, salt and black pepper to the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Stop and scrape down the sides a couple of times during this process. The mixture should not become overly processed or too smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl large enough to hold the cooked pasta.½ cup extra virgin olive oil, 1 heaping tsp chopped garlic, ¼ tsp salt,, Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- Then, using a spoon or small whisk, gently stir the grated cheeses, then the softened butter and lemon juice, distributing them uniformly into the pesto. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if necessary.½ cup grated parmigiano cheese , 2 Tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese , 3 Tbsp unsalted butter,, Juice of 1 lemon,
- Add salt, then the the pasta to the boiling water and stir occasionally. Once it is al dente, reserve about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the pesto. If you are using fresh lemon juice or zest, add that to the bowl at this time as well.1 pound pasta , Juice and zest of ½ lemon
- Toss until the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce. Only add in some of the reserved pasta water, gradually, if needed to adjust the consistency of the sauce to your liking. (You may not need to use any of it.)
- Drizzle with a little additional extra-virgin olive oil and grated cheese, transfer to serving dishes, & enjoy! Buon Appetito!
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes about 1 1/3 cup pesto sauce, which is the perfect amount for one pound of pasta. However, feel free (and encouraged!) to double or triple this sub-recipe to have additional on hand for other uses in a pinch.
- The pine nuts can be toasted and chopped up to one day in advance and held, uncovered, at room temperature.
- Likewise, the basil can be blanched up to one day in advance and held in the refrigerator.
- Use chopped garlic in order to avoid large pieces of garlic in the pesto.
- The pesto can be made in advance and held for up to one week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Just be sure to bring it fully to room temperature before mixing it with the hot pasta.
- Cook the pasta in less water than you would generally use, so that the residual pasta water becomes starchier (and thicker), enhancing the sauce better. Three quarts water is sufficient.
