Print

Whole Wheat Pasta with Pesto

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 20 to 30 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • Salt
  • 2 loosely packed cups fresh basil leaves
  • 1 garlic clove, or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup olive oil, or more to taste
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 1 pound any whole wheat pasta

Instructions

  1. Bring a stockpot of water to a boil and salt it. Put the basil, a pinch of salt, the garlic, the nuts, and about half of the oil in a food processor or blender. Turn the machine on, stopping a couple times to scrape down the sides of the container and gradually adding the rest of the oil. Continue processing or blending until you have a relatively smooth, thick consistency. If you’re using a food processor, remove the blade. Stir in the cheese.
  2. When the water boils, cook the pasta until it is tender but not mushy; start tasting after 5 minutes. When the pasta is almost done, thin the pesto by stirring in some of the pasta-cooking water—start with just a tablespoon so you don’t overdo it. You’re looking for the pesto to coat the back of a spoon.
  3. When the pasta is done, scoop out and reserve at least 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain it. Return the pasta to the stockpot and quickly toss it with the pesto, adding more cooking water if necessary to coat the noodles. Taste and adjust the seasoning, top with more grated cheese if you like, and serve.

—Recipe from How to Cook Everything: The Basics