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JUICY Pesto Pasta!
A technique for making pesto pasta that is slick and saucy rather than dry and gluey. By using starchy pasta water to emulsify the pesto, the sauce clings perfectly to every strand without needing excessive oil.
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Ingredients
- 1 homemade pesto (one full quantity; if using store-bought, use 1/2 cup or more to taste)
- 300 g pasta of choice (ziti, penne, or spaghetti are recommended)
- 2 tsp salt (for pasta water)
- 0.75 cup pasta cooking water (reserved from the pot just before draining)
- Parmesan cheese (freshly grated, for serving)
Steps
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 2 teaspoons of salt.
- 2
Add the pasta and cook for the length of time specified on the packet instructions.
- 3
Just before draining, scoop out at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water from the pot.
- 4
Drain the pasta in a colander and leave it for about a minute to ensure excess water is gone.
- 5
Transfer the drained pasta to a separate large mixing bowl. Do not use the pasta cooking pot, as the residual heat from the metal can cause the basil in the pesto to turn black.
- 6
Add the pesto and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water to the bowl.
- 7
Toss vigorously to coat the pasta in the pesto, adding more pasta water as needed (up to 3/4 cup) to make the pasta silky and saucy rather than dry and sticky.
- 8
Taste the pasta and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- 9
Serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Basil is sensitive to heat; never toss the pesto and pasta over a lit stove or in a hot metal pot, as the basil will oxidize and turn black. The residual heat from the pasta itself is sufficient to warm the sauce. If using store-bought pesto, you may need less (around 1/2 cup) because it often contains concentrated basil extracts. Always reserve more pasta water than you think you need, as the pasta continues to absorb liquid as you toss it.
Nutrition per serving
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