Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta (Printable)
Spring pasta tossed with fragrant wild garlic pesto, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese.
# What You Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 14 oz dried spaghetti or linguine
02 - 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for pasta water
→ Wild Garlic Pesto
03 - 2.8 oz wild garlic leaves, washed and patted dry
04 - 1 oz pine nuts (or walnuts)
05 - 1.8 oz grated Parmesan cheese
06 - ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
07 - 1 small garlic clove (optional)
08 - Juice of ½ lemon
09 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
→ Garnish
10 - Extra grated Parmesan, for serving
11 - A few wild garlic leaves or edible flowers (optional)
# Steps:
01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water — this will help bind the pesto to the noodles later.
02 - While the pasta cooks, combine the wild garlic leaves, pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil, garlic clove (if using), and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
03 - Drain the pasta and return it to the warm pot. Add the pesto and toss vigorously, splashing in a little reserved pasta water at a time until a silky, even coating clings to every strand.
04 - Divide among warmed plates or bowls immediately. Finish with an extra shower of grated Parmesan and a scattering of wild garlic leaves or edible flowers if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Wild garlic gives you all the flavor of regular garlic and basil combined, so you barely need any seasoning at all.
- The whole thing comes together in the time it takes to boil pasta, which makes it feel like you are getting away with something.
02 -
- Wild garlic loses its bright color quickly, so make the pesto as close to serving time as you can manage.
- A tablespoon of the pasta water saved from cooking is worth more than you think, because the starch binds the oil and cheese into a proper sauce instead of a greasy puddle.
03 -
- If the pesto tastes slightly bitter, a tiny pinch of sugar or an extra squeeze of lemon fixes it instantly.
- Blending the pesto in short pulses instead of one long whir keeps the color vivid and the texture more interesting.