Gluten-Free Fusilli with Basil Pesto
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 24, 2019
Time
35 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Toasting the pine nuts brings out their flavor, but don’t walk away from the skillet, as pine nuts can burn rather quickly. An equal amount of another nut, such as walnuts or almonds, can be used if you prefer. Cooking times for gluten-free pasta vary from brand to brand. Make sure to taste the pasta often, as it can overcook quickly.
Instructions
- Toast garlic in 8-inch skillet over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until garlic is softened and spotty brown, about 8 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. While garlic cools, toast pine nuts in now-empty skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Process garlic, pine nuts, basil, parsley, oil, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in food processor until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Transfer to medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
- Add sauce and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water to pasta, toss to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve, passing Parmesan separately.
Time
35 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
A great pesto should balance the flavors of each component: fresh basil, spicy garlic, nutty Parmesan, rich pine nuts, and fruity-peppery extra-virgin olive oil. To tame the raw garlic flavor, we toasted the cloves in a skillet, and while the skillet was out we toasted the nuts as well to deepen their flavor. Because the basil usually turns dark green in homemade pesto and gives the sauce a muddy appearance, we added some parsley to lend a bright green color boost. Processing everything together in the food processor delivered a sauce that retained some texture, and since we were cooking our pasta at the same time, we thinned the sauce with some reserved pasta cooking water so it would coat the pasta evenly. The pesto tended to clump when we tossed it with strand pasta; short shapes like fusilli made it easier to ensure even coverage. For sharper flavor, use Pecorino Romano cheese in place of the Parmesan.
Before You Begin
Toasting the pine nuts brings out their flavor, but don’t walk away from the skillet, as pine nuts can burn rather quickly. An equal amount of another nut, such as walnuts or almonds, can be used if you prefer. Cooking times for gluten-free pasta vary from brand to brand. Make sure to taste the pasta often, as it can overcook quickly.
Instructions
- Toast garlic in 8-inch skillet over medium heat, shaking pan occasionally, until garlic is softened and spotty brown, about 8 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin. While garlic cools, toast pine nuts in now-empty skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Process garlic, pine nuts, basil, parsley, oil, Parmesan, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in food processor until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds, scraping down bowl as needed. Transfer to medium bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain pasta and return it to pot.
- Add sauce and 1/4 cup reserved cooking water to pasta, toss to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add remaining cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Serve, passing Parmesan separately.
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