Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup pine nuts (toasted)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 8 oz pasta of choice (spaghetti or linguine)
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients: Rinse basil leaves and pat dry.
- Toast pine nuts: In a skillet over medium heat, toast pine nuts until golden brown (3-5 minutes).
- Blend pesto: In a food processor, combine basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic, salt, and Parmesan. Pulse until finely chopped; gradually add olive oil until desired consistency is reached.
- Cook pasta: Boil salted water in a pot and cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente, reserving ½ cup pasta water before draining.
- Combine: Return drained pasta to the pot on low heat; mix in pesto and lemon juice, adding reserved pasta water as needed for coating.
- Serve: Plate the pasta and garnish with extra Parmesan or toasted pine nuts.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup (200g)
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 38g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 30g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 20mg