Pasta with basil and walnut pesto — or in this case, busiate with basil and walnut pesto — a creamy and delicate first course made with a homemade basil pesto, a little different from classic Genovese pesto. If you’re looking for a delicious idea for a quick, economical and chic first course, you must try these busiate, dressed with a homemade pesto that is actually a true cream of walnuts, cheese and basil. Busiate are a type of long macaroni originally from the province of Trapani, prepared throughout the region and even in Calabria. They take their name from the “busa,” a Sicilian word referring to the stem of Ampelodesmos mauritanicus, a local grass whose stiff stalk is used to give them their characteristic helical shape — and thanks to this shape they hold sauce exceptionally well. But let’s get to the kitchen now, our pasta awaits; before rushing in, if you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my page Facebook and my profile Instagram, and here you’ll also find many other recipes for delicious pestos!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn
Ingredients to make Pasta with basil and walnut pesto
- 50 leaves basil
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (grated (about 1.5 oz))
- 1/3 cup Pecorino cheese (grated (about 1.5 oz))
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch garlic powder (or half a fresh clove)
- to taste salt
- 1.1 lb pasta (I used busiate (about 17.6 oz))
Tools
- Blender
- Pot
Steps to make pasta with basil and walnut pesto
Place the blender jug in the freezer for 20–30 minutes so that it is very cold when you use it. Put the water on to boil for the pasta and proceed with preparing it.
Put the walnuts, oil and cheeses into the blender jug. Blend until you obtain a smooth cream, then add the basil and blend again for about 30–40 seconds. If you succeed in not heating the mixture too much, you’ll get a nice bright green pesto.
Store it in the fridge until ready to use.
Drain the pasta and leave it slightly al dente, reserving a little of the cooking water.
Dress it with the pesto, adjust the creaminess with a little of the reserved cooking water and plate.
Prepare the amount of pasta you intend to consume. With this amount of pesto you can dress about 500–600 g (about 1.1–1.3 lb). Any leftover pesto can be frozen and thawed when needed, directly in the fridge or for a few minutes at room temperature.
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