Pasta with pistachio and basil pesto without cream is an easy, quick, creamy and genuine first course, aromatic and delicate, prepared at home in just a few minutes with the help of a blender. To make this pasta you’ll need high-quality pistachios such as Bronte pistachios, fresh basil, Parmesan, Pecorino and extra-virgin olive oil, and of course a good bronze-extruded pasta. Are you hungry after seeing this creamy pasta with pistachio pesto, without cream and without pancetta? Let’s go to the kitchen and make it together. Before you rush to the stove, remember that if you want to stay updated on new recipes you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile, and that here you’ll also find many other recipes for delicious pestos!
Take a look:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer and Autumn
Ingredients to make pasta with pistachio and basil pesto
- 3.5 oz (about 1 cup) pistachios (unsalted)
- 1.8 oz (about 1/2 cup) Parmesan
- 1.1 oz (about 1/3 cup) Pecorino cheese
- 1 pinch garlic powder (or 1/4 fresh clove)
- 1 pinch salt
- 30 leaves basil (about 1 cup loosely packed)
Tools
- Blender
- Pot
Steps to make Pasta with pistachio and basil pesto
To make the pistachio pesto I used unsalted pistachios; I recommend those from Bronte — they are a bit expensive, but the flavor is unique.
Place the blender jar in the freezer for 20–30 minutes so it will be cold when you use it.
Toast them in a pan for a few minutes, stirring often and being careful not to burn them. Let them cool and put them in the blender jar together with the oil, the cheese (grated or in pieces, it makes no difference) and the garlic. Blend to obtain a smooth sauce — the longer you blend, the smoother the sauce will be, but a coarser pesto will still be delicious. Avoid overheating the sauce; if needed, place it in the freezer for 10 minutes, then taste and adjust salt if necessary.
Finally add the basil leaves that you have washed and patted dry with paper towels.
Blend again for 30–40 seconds. If you manage to not heat the mixture too much, you’ll get a nice bright green pesto.
Blend until you obtain a homogeneous sauce, taste and adjust salt if needed. The pesto is ready and can be used to dress pasta, bruschetta and much more, but we will dress some fusilli.
Cook the pasta, drain it al dente and toss it with the pesto. Adjust the creaminess by mixing with a little pasta cooking water, plate immediately — you’ll get a super creamy first course without adding cream.
Prepare the amount of pasta you intend to eat; with this amount of pesto you can dress about 1.1–1.3 lb (500–600 g) of pasta. Any leftover pesto from smaller portions can be frozen and thawed as needed, either in the refrigerator or for a few minutes at room temperature.
