Have you made your own pesto yet? I hope so! Whether you have or have not, let’s talk about a couple of my favorite things to do when it comes to making a simple and easy pesto. And those two things are incorporated into this Walnut Pesto & Potato Pasta dish I’m sharing with you today.
Walnuts vs. Pine Nuts in Pesto
If you are familiar with making pesto you may have noticed I used walnuts instead of pine nuts (the more traditional ingredient in pesto). As much as I enjoy pine nuts in pesto, every now and then I like to use walnuts for an added bonus of a slightly crunchy texture and a little extra grittiness. When it comes to flavor, I like both walnuts and pesto so it just depends on my mood and what I have on-hand when deciding which one to use.
Potatoes in Pasta – A Sicilian Thing
The other twist in this walnut pesto and potato pasta is, of course, the POTATOES! My love affair with pesto pasta with potatoes started as a young girl. I actually remember the day it happened. We were at one of our Italian family get-togethers at my aunt’s house in the suburbs of Boston in the middle of summer. There were a couple picnic tables loaded with appetizers like homemade Sicilian olives, pickled peppers, loaves of moist, braided French bread next to pepperoni and sopressata (the kind you get from Italian delicatessens) and slices of provolone, stuffed mushrooms, and you get the picture.
Side Note: By the way, in looking for the spelling of my favorite salami, sopressata – I came across this wonderful website about how to make homemade sopressata. What a little treat!
The other table had the usual oversized, old wooden bowl filled with salad perfectly wilted from marinating in vinegar and olive oil. And there it was, the “green pasta” as auntie Connie called it. I was a skinny little girl, but I sat there eating straight out of the serving dish until I couldn’t fit anything else in my tummy. To this day I’ve never been able to recreate the flavor they would get, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up trying any time soon , continuing with this recipe.
Walnut Pesto & Potato Pasta
Equipment
- Food processor or mortar and pestle, or high-powered blender (like a Vitamix).
Ingredients
- 2 golden potatoes peeled, cubed
- 1 pound pasta spaghetti, linguini, boccoli or penne (whichever you prefer)
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt to add to the water before cooking the pasta
- 1 tsp optional: crushed red pepper
For the Pesto Sauce
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves about 15 basil leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 5 cloves fresh garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/2 lemon squeezed
- 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano freshly grated
Instructions
- Peel potatoes and cut in 1-inch cubes.
- Fill medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil. Add 2 tsp of kosher salt, add the potatoes and cook until tender, but al dente, about 20 minutes. Set aside to drain in colander.
- Rinse basil leaves and pat dry; set aside.
- To prepare the pesto, add basil leaves to a food processor, along with parsley, garlic, olive oil, walnuts and process by pulsing until a paste forms.. Add lemon juice and transfer mixture to a medium sized bowl; give it a stir. Add grated Pecorino cheese (a little at a time, tasting in between for taste and texture since you may not want to use all the cheese) and gently stir until well-blended. Taste and add more olive oil and or cheese until desired taste and consistency. Note: Flavors might be a little intense at first. If preferred, make a day ahead and refrigerate in air tight container to give flavors a chance to blend and mellow. Optional: For a less pungent garlic flavor, sauté the garlic in a little olive oil for about two minutes before processing the pesto.
- Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente. Reserve one cup of the pasta cooking water in a glass measuring cup.
- To a large serving bowl, add half the pesto mixture to the bottom of the bowl and about a cup of the chopped potatoes.
- When the pasta is ready, add about 1/2 cup of the pasta water on top of the pesto and potatoes. Then add the pasta to the pesto and potato. Using tongs, gently toss together to combine, pulling upward until the pesto coats the pasta, and adding more of the reserved cooking liquid as needed. Add the remaining pesto and continue to gently toss.
- Garnish with additional grated cheese and crushed red pepper if desired.
Enjoy!
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