Name: Pasta with Lamb and Mint-Pistachio Pesto
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: ItalianEurope
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh mint leaves; ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil , divided; ½ cup shelled pistachios , toasted and chopped, divided; 1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese , grated (½ cup), divided, plus extra for serving; 1½ teaspoons table salt , divided, plus salt for cooking pasta; 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice; 1 garlic clove , minced; 1 pound fusilli; 1 pound ground lamb; ½ teaspoon pepper; 1 cup frozen peas , thawed

Why This Recipe Works

A pesto made with lots of cool mint, sharp Pecorino, bright lemon, and creamy pistachios balanced the pasta, lamb, and sweet peas.

Before You Begin

You will need two large bunches of mint to yield 2 cups of leaves. We like the buttery flavor of pistachios here, but you can substitute slivered almonds.

Instructions

Process mint, ½ cup oil, ¼ cup pistachios, ¼ cup Pecorino, 1 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, and garlic in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add lamb, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer lamb to pot with pasta. Add peas, pesto, lemon juice, reserved cooking water, and remaining ¼ cup Pecorino to pasta and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup pistachios. Serve with extra Pecorino.