Spaghetti with Pesto
By Cecelia JenkinsPublished on April 21, 2020
Time
1 hour
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
We prefer the flavor of Italian pine nuts here; the container should indicate where they’re grown. Use a good-quality, relatively mild extra-virgin olive oil for the best results. When shopping for basil, look for a 4-ounce plastic container of leaves with stems; after stemming, you should have 4 cups of leaves (3 ounces by weight). If you don’t have a scale to measure the Parmesan, the amount of processed Parmesan should be about ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons. If you're planning on making the pesto specifically for coating pasta, you can blanch the basil in the salted pasta cooking water before cooking your pasta.
Instructions
- Combine pine nuts and 1 tablespoon oil in 8-inch skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until pine nuts are light golden, 3 to 6 minutes. Spread pine nuts out on plate and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Remove and discard basil stems from leaves (you should have 4 cups leaves [3 ounces by weight]). Add basil leaves and 1½ teaspoons salt to boiling water and cook until basil is wilted and bright green, 5 to 10 seconds. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer basil directly to salad spinner and spin to remove excess water. Spread basil on clean dish towel to dry. (If you don’t have a salad spinner, drain basil on clean dish towel and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.)
- Process Parmesan in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds; transfer to medium bowl. Process salt, garlic, pine nuts, basil, and remaining oil in now-empty processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer pesto to bowl with Parmesan and stir to combine.
- Return water to boil. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and transfer to large bowl. Add pesto and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately, passing extra Parmesan separately.
Time
1 hourYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Knowing that pesto makes the perfect sauce for a comforting spaghetti dinner, we developed our Basil Pesto recipe to yield the exact amount needed to sauce a pound of pasta. For a sauce that would cling to the noodles rather than slip off and pool at the bottom of the bowl, we reserved ½ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water to toss with the pesto and pasta. We served the pasta immediately to prevent it from drying out (and cooling off) as it sat.
Before You Begin
We prefer the flavor of Italian pine nuts here; the container should indicate where they’re grown. Use a good-quality, relatively mild extra-virgin olive oil for the best results. When shopping for basil, look for a 4-ounce plastic container of leaves with stems; after stemming, you should have 4 cups of leaves (3 ounces by weight). If you don’t have a scale to measure the Parmesan, the amount of processed Parmesan should be about ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons. If you're planning on making the pesto specifically for coating pasta, you can blanch the basil in the salted pasta cooking water before cooking your pasta.
Instructions
- Combine pine nuts and 1 tablespoon oil in 8-inch skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until pine nuts are light golden, 3 to 6 minutes. Spread pine nuts out on plate and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Remove and discard basil stems from leaves (you should have 4 cups leaves [3 ounces by weight]). Add basil leaves and 1½ teaspoons salt to boiling water and cook until basil is wilted and bright green, 5 to 10 seconds. Using spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer basil directly to salad spinner and spin to remove excess water. Spread basil on clean dish towel to dry. (If you don’t have a salad spinner, drain basil on clean dish towel and thoroughly pat dry with paper towels.)
- Process Parmesan in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds; transfer to medium bowl. Process salt, garlic, pine nuts, basil, and remaining oil in now-empty processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer pesto to bowl with Parmesan and stir to combine.
- Return water to boil. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain pasta and transfer to large bowl. Add pesto and reserved cooking water to pasta and toss to combine. Season with salt to taste. Serve immediately, passing extra Parmesan separately.
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