Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta (Printable)
Vibrant spring pasta with fragrant wild garlic pesto, pine nuts, and Parmesan. Fresh, lively flavors in every bite.
# What You'll Need:
→ Wild Garlic Pesto
01 - 2⅔ ounces wild garlic leaves, rinsed and patted dry
02 - 1¾ ounces toasted pine nuts (or walnuts)
03 - 1¾ ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1 garlic clove
05 - ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
06 - Juice of ½ lemon
07 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Pasta
08 - 14 ounces dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or penne)
09 - Salt, for pasta water
→ Optional Garnish
10 - Extra grated Parmesan
11 - Freshly cracked black pepper
# Directions:
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. Drain thoroughly.
02 - While the pasta cooks, add the wild garlic leaves, toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan, and garlic clove to a food processor. Pulse several times until the ingredients are roughly chopped and combined.
03 - With the processor running continuously, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a smooth, vibrant green paste forms. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Pulse once more to incorporate.
04 - Transfer the drained pasta back to the pot or to a large serving bowl. Add the wild garlic pesto and toss well to coat every strand. Splash in the reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce reaches a silky, clinging consistency.
05 - Divide among warmed plates or bowls. Finish with an extra shower of grated Parmesan and a generous crack of black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately while hot.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The pesto comes together in under ten minutes while your pasta cooks, so dinner feels almost effortless.
- Wild garlic has a softer, more floral bite than regular garlic, and once you taste it you will be ruined for the store-bought jars forever.
02 -
- Wild garlic pesto oxidizes quickly so if you are making it ahead press a sheet of cling film directly onto the surface to keep it vivid green.
- I once skipped toasting the pine nuts thinking it would not matter and the whole batch tasted flat, so never skip that step.
03 -
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you need because you cannot get it back once it is gone and it is the secret to a restaurant-quality finish.
- Blanching the wild garlic leaves for ten seconds in boiling water then shocking them in ice water keeps the pesto an impossibly bright green if you are serving it for guests.