Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta (Printable)
Fresh spring pasta with vibrant wild garlic pesto, pine nuts, and Parmesan in every bite.
# What You'll Need:
→ Wild Garlic Pesto
01 - 2.65 ounces wild garlic leaves, rinsed and patted dry
02 - 1.75 ounces toasted pine nuts (or walnuts)
03 - 1.75 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1 garlic clove
05 - ⅓ cup plus 1½ tablespoons 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
# How to Make It:
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. Reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
02 - While the pasta cooks, place the wild garlic leaves, toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan, and garlic clove into a food processor. Pulse several times until the ingredients are coarsely chopped and combined.
03 - With the food processor running continuously, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil through the feed tube until a smooth, vibrant green paste forms. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
04 - Transfer the drained pasta back to the pot or to a large serving bowl. Add the wild garlic pesto and toss thoroughly to coat every strand. Splash in the reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce reaches a silky, clinging consistency.
05 - Plate immediately and finish with additional grated Parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Wild garlic season is maddeningly short, so this dish feels like catching lightning in a bottle every spring.
- The whole thing comes together faster than delivery, but tastes like you spent hours.
02 -
- Wild garlic loses its color quickly once blended, so a squeeze of lemon juice added right at the end helps preserve that electric green for a few extra minutes.
- If you are using a blender instead of a food processor, stop and stir several times or the bottom turns to soup while the top stays chunky.
03 -
- Toast the nuts in the same pot you will cook the pasta in, then wipe it out, saving yourself a pan and concentrating the flavor.
- For a vegan version, nutritional yeast replaces Parmesan beautifully, use roughly the same quantity and add a pinch more salt.