Chopped Pesto Pasta Sauce
Unplug the food processor to make this rustic, super-simple pasta sauce recipe: hand-chopped pesto sauce with parsley and nuts combined with olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese. Make it by hand right on a cutting board for a quick and vibrant vegetarian dish!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (35 g) pistachios or whole almonds toasted for 10 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) chopped red onion or shallot
- 1 scallion chopped
- 1 garlic clove crushed with flat side of a chef's knife
- 2 cups Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves (from about 1 large bunch)
- ⅓ cup (75 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup (35 g) grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½ pound (225 g) pappardelle or fettuccine pasta
- ½ pound (225 g) green beans stem ends trimmed and sliced in half
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water (about ¼ cup kosher salt for 5-6 quarts water) boil.
- Put the pistachios on a cutting board and chop into crumbs with a large knife. Pile the onion, scallion, garlic and parsley on top and chop everything together until fine.
- Transfer parsley mixture to a bowl. Stir in olive oil, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper to taste.
- Put the pasta into the boiling water and cook until almost al dente. Toss in the green beans and cook a few more minutes. Just before draining, scoop out ¼ cup of the pasta water and stir into the pesto.
- Toss the hot pasta and green beans with the pesto and serve. Sprinkle with additional cheese, if desired.
Notes
Inspired by a recipe in The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper.
Nutrition
Calories: 487kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 15gFat: 26gSodium: 168mgFiber: 5gSugar: 4g
