Spaghetti with basil and walnut cream, a last-minute recipe, perfect to make in very little time and with very few steps. A modern, fragrant and colorful pesto, very simple to prepare. For quantities you can safely go by eye; below I give the indications for a correct balance of flavors and aromas. A fundamental tip for the success of the recipe is to add the fine salt only at the moment of mixing the pasta to keep a bright green cream. Below I leave some recipes with basil, a fantastic ingredient to use in these first spring days, especially as a dressing for first courses; at the end of the complete recipe with step-by-step photos I answer the most common questions about this type of recipe.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 12 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 cups basil leaves
- 2/3 cup walnut halves (plus some for the final garnish)
- 1.4 oz grated cheese (grated (about 6 tbsp))
- 11.3 oz spaghetti
- 1 tbsp coarse salt (for the pasta)
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
Tools
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Colander
Steps
To make Spaghetti with basil and walnut cream, first clean the basil well with a damp cloth, removing the less-green or damaged leaves. Place them inside the food processor. Add three of the 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, the walnut halves and the grated cheese. Blend until you obtain a smooth, bright green cream.
Cook the spaghetti in plenty of salted water and drain them rather al dente. Add the basil and walnut cream, the fourth tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix.
Serve immediately and, if you want to enrich the recipe while keeping it vegan, add some roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes preserved in oil. Before serving, garnish with coarsely broken walnut halves.
This recipe is best prepared at the last minute, but if you want to make it in advance, when reheating do so in a pan with a little extra-virgin olive oil until a delicious crust forms.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use short pasta or gluten-free pasta?
Certainly. Any pasta shape will work.
