Pesto and pasta were made for each other. Any kind of pesto, and any kind of pasta. Tah Dah! You have a delicious meal. However, If you have never had arugula pesto, you have to give this a try. Arugula is from the mustard family and is known for its peppery flavor. When concentrated into a pesto, it’s a flavor explosion!
I tend to keep certain ingredients in my pantry regularly. As such, those are the ingredients that I use most. I used almonds in this recipe, but you could use almost any kind of nut like pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, or pistachios. The lemon juice adds brightness to the dish, and the Parmesan adds savoriness. I was tempted to add black pepper to the pesto because I put it into all my other pesto recipes. In the end, the arugula is peppery enough you won’t desire more pepper in the dish. Enjoy!
- 2 cups packed baby arugula
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 TBS grated parmesan cheese
- 8 oz whole wheat penne, or other small shaped pasta
- Process arugula, almonds, and garlic until finely chopped in a food processor.
- Mix together olive oil and lemon juice. Pour liquids down the chute with the food processor running.
- Add salt and Parmesan to food processor, pulsing a few times to combine
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Before draining, reserve ¼ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Combine cooked pasta and pesto, stirring to coat. Add just enough reserved cooking liquid to thin pesto and coat noodles more evenly. I generally use about 2 TBS. Discard remaining reserved liquid.
Recipe inspired by Cookie and Kate and shared at Meatless Mondays!
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