Perfect Pistachio Pesto Pasta

In honor of National Pistachio Day – Friday, Feb 26 – I made a super-easy and deeply flavorful pasta supper using roasted, unsalted pistachios mixed into a pesto. Really good! This deserves a place on your short list of dinnertime options for a crazy-busy weeknight. Heck, it’s a good option for company dinner too. Not the prettiest dish in the world, but a little garnish (fresh mint leaves?) would help with that. It’s all about the accessories, amirite?!

Before you dive into the recipe, why don’t you take a little break – maybe pop a few pistachios as a snack? – and view some of the Wonderful Pistachios commercials at the link here. I especially like the ones with Snoop Dogg, the dominatrix, and the new Facebook emojis. Here’s another fun one:
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​Keep reading for the recipe and plenty of pix.

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Click the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Printable Recipe- Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
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Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
Recipe source: Nate Hamilton via Bon Appetit
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups unsalted, shelled, roasted natural pistachios
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 handful fresh mint leaves
• 1 handful grated Parmesan
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound pasta, cooked – Save the cooking liquid!

COOK’S NOTE: I recommend using a pasta that has ridges, nooks and/or crannies to hold the chunky sauce. The original recipe’s photo shows spaghetti and that looks delicious too. But I prefer to use a rotini or fusilli.

DIRECTIONS:

• Place the following ingredients into a food processor: pistachios, tomato, garlic cloves, mint, and Parmesan. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and a big pinch of black pepper.
• Pulse until a coarse purée forms.
• Transfer to a bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and stir to form a thick, chunky sauce. Add more olive oil if needed (1 tablespoon at a time). It will still be thick – that’s okay. Season with salt and pepper.
• Toss 1 cup pesto with 1 pound freshly cooked pasta, adding still-warm pasta cooking liquid by the tablespoonful to form a glossy sauce.

COOK’S NOTE: I needed about 4-5 tablespoons of pasta water for the pesto sauce to thin out enough to coat the pasta.

• Top the sauced pasta with one quick grind of pepper and just a little extra grated cheese if desired.
• Chill the remaining pesto to spread on sandwiches, or use as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken breasts or fish fillets.

 
Serves 8