If you’re looking for a way to make your weeknight meal a breeze, then look no further than this pistachio pesto pasta. All you need to do is engulf your favorite pasta in a fresh bright green pistachio basil pesto. It’s that simple!
Pasta is my ultimate comfort food when nothing comes to my mind.
I obsessively look for new innovative pasta recipes that I could give a try on my special pasta day!
And this pistachio pasta is the new addition to the list, which is a wonderful twist on the traditional pesto alla Genovese with some extra nuttiness in the mix.
It is a hassle-free recipe that is ready within 10 minutes which makes for a magnificent vegan Italian dish that consists of healthy fats and a satisfying bite.
I guarantee you! You will make this pasta with pistachio pesto over and over again once you give it a crack!
Tools You’ll Need
- Pot/Skillet: You can use a single pot or skillet to make this pasta. Boil the pasta and then combine the pesto after segregating the water.
- Spatula: To saute and stir.
- Strainer: To sieve out the water after boiling the pasta.
Ingredients in This Pistachio Pesto Pasta Recipe
Pistachio Pesto Sauce: This pesto sauce is garlicky, savory, and brimming with fresh flavors of basil and earthiness of pistachio which is obviously the hero of the dish.
Pasta: I find that penne is the perfect pasta to go with this recipe as its shape is good for trapping in the sauce and has a firm texture, but you can also go for rigatoni, fusilli, or farfalle.
Pistachios (optional): Pistachios elevate the flavors of this pasta, and they also are full of body-loving nutrients, and healthy fats, and have cholesterol-lowering properties.
Parsley: To garnish the pasta and give an extra hint of freshness.
Oil
Water
Salt & Pepper
What kind of pasta do I choose?
Typically penne or rigatoni are used in the recipe for their texture and they hold the pasta sauce well. But you can also use farfalle, cavatappi, rotini, or spaghetti to give this dish a unique look.
How to Make Pistachio Pesto Pasta
Boil the Pasta:
In a pot, boil some water, and add oil and salt in it.
Add pasta and cook it for 6-8 minutes on high flame till al dente.
Save some pasta water for further use, and sieve away the rest. Also drizzle some oil and black pepper on the pasta and let it rest.
Roast the Pistachios (optional):
This step is optional. Roast the pistachios in a pan for 30 seconds, roughly crush them, and keep them aside.
Make the Pistachio pesto Sauce:
You can check out how to whip up the sauce here!
Combine
In the same pot as used for boiling, add the sauce and thin it up by adding the pasta water saved before. Stir it continuously till you get a consistent sauce, add the cooked pasta, salt, pepper, and mix well.
Finish it off by sprinkling crushed pistachios and chopped parsley over the pasta and your pistachio pesto pasta is ready to be served.
Tips & Variations
Make it gluten-free: Other than being totally plant-based and paleo, you can also make it into a gluten-free dish, just by simply using a gluten-free version of the pasta.
Add protein: If you wanna bring the protein level of the pasta up, pair it with grilled chicken, or grilled fish, or even spread some salami on the pasta. They really complement the flavors of the pasta and make it a wholesome meal that’ll keep your stomach full for hours.
Add more veggies: Why stop at the protein, when you can also implement more veggies like green beans, cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers to shoot up the nutrition levels of the pasta.
Opt-in some cheese: To give the pasta an extra bit of texture, nothing can beat the cheese melting on top. You can also choose parmesan cheese for a more intense flavor, but to me, mozzarella has the perfect balance of saltiness and it melts in a nice way.
How to Store
In the refrigerator: This pasta can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days by keeping it in an air-tight container. But there is a chance of the texture getting altered. To avoid that, store the pasta and the sauce separately and combine them at the time of reheating.
In the freezer: Don’t freeze the pasta as it will get spoiled during the thawing process. Store the sauce and pasta separately and they will last for 2-3 months.
Why You’ll Love This Pistachio Pasta
- This pesto pistachio pasta is highly time-effective, so you don’t need to spend hours in the kitchen.
- You can make this pasta using a single pot which means you’ll have a mess-free kitchen at the end of the day.
- It is extremely succulent and healthy at the same time.
- It doesn’t incorporate a ton of ingredients and most of them are required in making pistachio pesto.
- It is paleo, and can easily be made gluten-free with some swaps.
- This recipe is very versatile and effortlessly customizable.
More Pasta Recipes
- Mushroom Alfredo Pasta
- Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta
- Red Sauce Pasta
- Macaroni Masala Pasta
- Pink Sauce Pasta
- Maggi White Sauce Pasta
Please rate and comment if you make this pistachio pesto pasta so I know how much you like it.
Pistachio Pesto Pasta: A Perfect Fusion Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 gms Penne pasta
- Water
- 1 Jar Pistachio Pesto Sauce
- 2 tbsp Mozzarella Cheese shredded
- Salt
- Black Pepper powder a pinch
- 4-5 Pistachio nuts crushed (optional)
- 1 tsp Parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- In a pot, boil some water, and add oil and salt in it.
- Add pasta and cook it for 6-8 minutes on high flame till al dente.
- Save some pasta water for further use, and sieve away the rest. Also drizzle some oil and black pepper on the pasta and let it rest.
- This step is optional. Roast the pistachios in a pan for 30 seconds, roughly crush them, and keep them aside.
- You can check out how to whip up the sauce in the previous post.
- In the same pot as used for boiling, add the sauce and thin it up by adding the pasta water saved before. Stir it continuously till you get a consistent sauce, add the cooked pasta, salt, pepper, and mix well.
- Finish it off by sprinkling crushed pistachios and chopped parsley over the pasta and your pistachio pesto pasta is ready to be served.
Notes
- Make it gluten-free: Other than being totally plant-based and paleo, you can also make it into a gluten-free dish, just by simply using a gluten-free version of the pasta.
- Add protein: If you wanna bring the protein level of the pasta up, pair it with grilled chicken, or grilled fish, or even spread some salami on the pasta. They really complement the flavors of the pasta and make it a wholesome meal that’ll keep your stomach full for hours.
- Add more veggies: Why stop at the protein, when you can also implement more veggies like green beans, cherry tomatoes, and bell peppers to shoot up the nutrition levels of the pasta.
- Opt-in some cheese: To give the pasta an extra bit of texture, nothing can beat the cheese melting on top. You can also choose parmesan cheese for a more intense flavor, but to me, mozzarella has the perfect balance of saltiness and it melts in a nice way.
