Today I answer three questions you wrote me in chat about fettuccine with arugula pesto! How can I make arugula pesto without a mortar? What should I add to arugula pesto to remove the bitterness? How do you prepare arugula pesto for pasta? If you have asked yourself these same questions, continue reading the arugula pesto recipe I propose today! I will answer all these questions by showing you the recipe and the video recipe with step-by-step procedure below!
Let’s start with how to prepare arugula pesto without a mortar: you can prepare it using a mini chopper or a blender, or even an immersion blender if you prefer, putting the arugula in a bowl large enough to let you work the ingredients easily. I used a mini chopper I’ve had for years; it has a nice bowl and, most importantly, the ability to add liquids without removing the lid. I added the extra virgin olive oil in a steady stream directly through the spout on the lid so I didn’t dirty any other appliance.
Moving on to the second question. What to add to arugula pesto to remove the bitterness: I added 1/2 cup (about 1.8 oz) Pecorino Romano and 1/2 cup (about 1.8 oz) grated Grana Padano (Parmigiano Reggiano). The pine nuts, of course — otherwise what kind of pesto would it be?! Then extra virgin olive oil to create a nice dense, green pesto. I added a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper. Finally, at the end I added some grilled marinated artichoke hearts. If you don’t want to use too much extra virgin olive oil, you can use a few tablespoons of pasta cooking water instead. If you want an even sweeter (less bitter) result, you can use about 2–3 tablespoons (30–40 g) of ricotta or robiola; the pesto will be less bright green but you will definitely eliminate the bitterness of the arugula.
Finally, to answer the third question: how to prepare arugula pesto for pasta? Here is my step-by-step recipe to make this dish with me!
Before moving on to the recipe, here are some homemade pesto recipes I’ve made over the years. Each link is clickable and will take you directly to the recipe you choose to read. Needless to say, my favorite is the cherry tomato pesto with basil, one of the dishes I made once a week last summer! Then I can recommend a different dish from the usual: couscous with prawns, peas and Genoese pesto. You’ll also find mezze maniche with basil pesto, pine nuts and mozzarella, an easy and quick dish to prepare!
Remember that I wait for you every morning in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day! An unmissable appointment to start the day with a sweet or savory treat! The blog’s newsletter started on April 1st, completely free, to receive one email a month with three recipes linked by an ingredient or theme. You can subscribe by leaving your email here on the blog!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 7 Minutes
- Portions: 4People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Spring, Summer
- Energy 628.70 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 75.77 (g) of which sugars 4.49 (g)
- Proteins 23.87 (g)
- Fat 27.61 (g) of which saturated 6.45 (g)of which unsaturated 9.25 (g)
- Fibers 5.16 (g)
- Sodium 910.92 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 180 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients to make 4 servings of fettuccine with arugula pesto, pine nuts and grilled marinated artichokes
- 14 oz egg fettuccine
- 7 1/2 cups arugula
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano (grated)
- 1/2 cup Grana Padano (grated)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- 10 marinated artichoke hearts (sliced and grilled)
- to taste cheese (grated)
From the 60 g (about 1/2 cup or 2.1 oz) of pine nuts we will use 30 g (about 1/4 cup or 1.1 oz) for the pesto, so these will be blended with the arugula, the two cheeses and the extra virgin olive oil. The remaining 30 g of pine nuts will be toasted in a pan for the final garnish of the fettuccine with arugula pesto.
Tools to make homemade arugula pesto without a mortar
- 1 Food chopper
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Pan
- 1 Pot
- 1 Colander
- 1 Rubber spatula
As anticipated, if you don’t have a chopper like mine, you can use a blender with a bowl large enough to blend all the listed ingredients. A third option is an immersion blender used with a suitably large bowl, not its narrow tall beaker. Remember that the quantity of arugula is 150 g (about 7 1/2 cups loosely packed), you should have room to move around to achieve a dense, creamy and delicious pesto.
Steps for fettuccine with arugula pesto, toasted pine nuts and grilled marinated artichokes
I start preparation by gathering all the ingredients needed to make the arugula pesto and placing them on the work surface near the chopper. I turn on the stovetop and place a pot with plenty of water to boil the fettuccine. This first course is ready in a few minutes, just the pasta’s cooking time, which in my case is 7 minutes.
I put the arugula into the chopper bowl, add the pine nuts, add salt and a pinch of pepper. I grate the two cheeses and add the indicated amounts. Then I place the lid and start the machine. If you like, you can also add a garlic clove peeled. Through the spout on the lid I begin to add the extra virgin olive oil, little by little, until I see the chopper picking up the ingredients well and blending them to create a dense and creamy pesto.
I turn off the appliance and my arugula and pine nut pesto is ready to dress the pasta. With the help of a rubber spatula I transfer the pesto into a large bowl and set it aside. I kept a little Pecorino Romano to grate over the fettuccine raw.
While I wait for the water to boil, I toast 30 g (about 1/4 cup, 1.1 oz) of pine nuts in a pan, low heat and tossing often so they don’t darken on one side. Then I set them aside for the final garnish. I also take the grilled marinated artichoke hearts from their oil, already in slices, which I will add to the dish together with a few small arugula leaves.
I cook the fettuccine for the minutes indicated on the package and then drain them with a colander. I pour them into the bowl, with high, wide sides, where I transferred the arugula pesto and, using a large fork and a teaspoon, mix well. You’ll see the fettuccine take on that nice bright green color of the pesto.
I plate by dividing into four portions and garnish each plate with the grilled marinated artichoke slices, add some small arugula leaves, the toasted pine nuts and finally a good sprinkling of Pecorino Romano.
I’m finally ready to serve the fettuccine with arugula pesto! All that’s left is to wish you a good meal and remind you that I wait for you every day here in my kitchen with many easy, quick and delicious recipes like this one!
Tips and variations for fettuccine with arugula pesto, grilled artichokes and toasted pine nuts
Tips for this recipe: pay attention to the amount of extra virgin olive oil you add while preparing the arugula pesto. It’s easy to add too much and make it too runny. If you are afraid of using too much oil, dilute with some pasta cooking water and a little oil. Don’t overdo the Pecorino Romano as it is very salty; you risk obtaining an unbalanced salty dish. Do not over-toast the pine nuts; they are small and expensive, and if they become too dark they will be hard.
Recipe variations: as mentioned, you can reduce the oil by diluting with water. You can add a peeled garlic clove if you like. If you don’t have grilled artichokes, you can use marinated artichoke halves. If you want an arugula pesto that is not bitter, add ricotta or robiola while processing in the chopper. Finally, as you might guess, you can replace the fettuccine with any type of pasta you like, from long to short pasta.
