A simple first course to make at home with a unique taste that is not even remotely comparable to the various pistachio pestos found on supermarket shelves. The real difference lies in the intense flavor given by the ingredients that form the base of the pesto.

Making it might seem complicated at first, but it is actually very easy and accessible to everyone. Of course, you need to first obtain the right ingredients and some useful tools to complete, without too much skill, a delicious sauce for pasta or other dishes.

To start, you need to get a good amount of pistachios, either chopped or, even better, whole pistachios (better if already shelled) to be combined with good olive oil and Parmesan. At the same time, for this recipe, you also need some cherry tomatoes to create a homemade sauce with an intense and decisive flavor.

The almost trivial procedure involves using an immersion blender that will allow you to obtain a cream of intense and bright green color that you can store in a glass jar if any is left over. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s go and see all the steps to bring one of my favorite dishes to the table!

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Difficulty: Very Easy
Cost: Economic
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 1
Cooking methods: Boiling
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

For the spaghetti with pistachio pesto and cherry tomatoes

3.5 oz chopped pistachios
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
to taste chopped basil
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps grated Parmesan cheese
7 oz cherry tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
to taste powdered garlic
to taste pepper
3.5 oz spaghetti

Tools

Immersion Blender

Steps

To make spaghetti with pistachio pesto and cherry tomatoes

To start, get a beaker and put all the chopped pistachios in it, leaving some teaspoons aside for the final garnish
Then pour 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil into the beaker, and add the chopped basil (I used frozen, but fresh is obviously better)
At this point, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and blend for about 30 seconds
Finally, add 2 teaspoons of grated Parmesan (Grana Padano is fine too, or pecorino if you prefer a stronger flavor) and blend again for a few seconds. Then pour the pesto into a glass jar
Next, cut all the cherry tomatoes in half using a sharp knife and a cutting board as your work surface
Now, take a large pan, heat some oil, then add the cut cherry tomatoes, a pinch of salt, and some basil
Cook over medium heat until the cherry tomatoes soften, and then add some powdered garlic and a teaspoon of sugar
Once softened, mash the cherry tomatoes using a suitable tool to ensure all the pulp comes out, creating a creamy sauce
In the meantime, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Then, use tongs to transfer the spaghetti to the pan with the cherry tomatoes to finish cooking
To finish, add a few ladles of cooking water and 2 tablespoons of the previously prepared pistachio pesto. Stir continuously to amalgamate, adding more cooking water if necessary
Finally, plate your portion of spaghetti and garnish with a tablespoon of pesto, pepper, and pistachio crumbs before serving