Pesto alla Genovese (Pesto Pasta)

Dinner | Italian

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 10 min Servings: 4

We all know and love pesto pasta. It's a very simple pasta dish That's fresh and light making it perfect for the warmer nights. This is a dish I'll make if I'm craving an easy pasta and I only have 20 minutes to make it.

Here's a recipe that follows the authentic Pesto alla Genovese recipe with small tweaks based on how I like to cook and eat it. Learn about the dish and what they key steps and ingredients are, and then we'll get into making it.

About the dish

Authentic Pesto alla Genovese is made in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle, and this technique is a key part of the dish. Crushing bruises the basil cell walls and releases essential oils rather than shredding them the way a blender blade does. Blending generates heat from friction and oxidises the oils rapidly, turning the pesto dark and slightly bitter within minutes. Working in a mortar keeps the temperature low and gives you control over texture.

The finished pesto has a rougher, more varied consistency with visible pieces of nut and herb rather than a smooth paste. This is the traditional Ligurian result. Start with garlic and salt, add toasted pine nuts, then basil in small batches, then cheese, then oil.

Set aside half a cup of pasta water before draining. After draining, the pasta goes back into the pot with the pesto and a splash of that starchy water and is tossed together off the heat. The starch in the cooking water emulsifies the oil in the pesto into a loose, even coating rather than an oily slick that slides off the pasta. Never put pesto over direct heat. The basil discolours and goes bitter almost immediately. The hot pasta is enough to warm the pesto through.

Ingredient Notes

Basil: Use young, small-leaved basil at peak freshness. Large, mature basil leaves can have a slightly bitter, clove-like flavour. Wash the leaves and pat them dry before using. Any remaining water dilutes the pesto and speeds up oxidation. Add the basil to the mortar in small batches rather than all at once so you can work it down progressively.

Pine nuts (toasted): I toast mine lightly in a dry pan before pounding, which adds a deeper, nuttier flavour than raw pine nuts. Traditional Genovese pesto uses raw pine nuts, but I think toasted gives a better result. Toast in a dry pan over low-medium heat, stirring constantly, until just turning golden. Watch them carefully as they go from golden to burnt in about 30 seconds.

Pasta shape: So this recipe is generally made with trofie, trenette, or linguine pasta but I really like the shape of fusilli with pesto as there’s lots of place for the pesto to stick to it.

Parmigiano-Reggiano: As there aren't many ingredient, the quality of each one does matter especially when is comes to the Parmigiano. Parmigiano-Reggiano has a crystalline, complex flavour that generic parmesan doesn’t match. Grana Padano is a less expensive substitute with a milder flavour. Avoid pre-grated parmesan from a container. It contains anti-caking agents that prevent it from incorporating smoothly into the pesto.

Equipment

Mortar and pestle
Large pot (for pasta)
Microplane or fine grater
Chopping board

Ingredients

500g fusilli pasta
1 clove garlic
120ml (4 fl oz) olive oil
30g (1 oz) toasted pine nuts
1 bunch basil, leaves picked and washed
20g (0.7 oz) Parmesan, grated
sea salt to taste

Directions

Place a large pot of salted water on to boil to cook the pasta. Cook pasta according to packet directions, until al dente. Check on your pasta now and then and give it a mix to ensure it doesn’t stick together.
In a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic with a little bit of salt until it forms a paste. Then add the toasted pine nuts and start to break those down until it’s a dry paste consistency (like peanut butter).
Add the parmesan and a little of the oil, and continue to work to a paste.
Add the basil leaves gradually (about two pinches at a time) and pound until broken down, then add more. Keep working it until you have a coarse paste.
Add the remaining oil and continue pounding until it comes together, ensuring the pesto retains some texture. Add a pinch of salt.
Take ½ cup of pasta water out of the pot. Then, drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the pesto and a little bit of the pasta water and toss to combine, until pasta is well coated.
Serve pasta with extra grated parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

Recipe notes

Chef Tips

Add the basil in small batches

Adding all the basil at once makes it difficult to pound down effectively and can cause it to spring back out of the mortar. Add about two pinches at a time, pound until reduced and incorporated, then add more. Work with a circular grinding motion rather than just pounding up and down. The gradual addition lets you build the paste progressively and gives you more control over the final texture.

Toss the pesto through hot pasta off the heat

Once the pasta is drained and back in the pot, take the pot off the stove entirely before adding the pesto. The residual heat in the pasta and pot is enough to warm the pesto through. If the pan is still on the heat, the basil goes dark and bitter almost immediately. Add pesto, add a splash of pasta water, toss quickly and serve immediately.

Storage

Fresh pesto keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days. Pour a thin layer of olive oil over the surface before sealing the container. The oil acts as a barrier against oxidation and keeps the pesto bright green. For longer storage, freeze in ice cube trays, then transfer the frozen cubes to a bag. Frozen pesto keeps for up to 2 months. Add frozen cubes directly to hot pasta with a splash of pasta water.

FAQs

Can I use a food processor instead of a mortar and pestle? Yes, though the texture and flavour will be slightly different. Use the pulse function to keep the pesto coarse rather than running the processor continuously. Add the olive oil last with the processor on low. If the pesto darkens quickly, the blades are generating too much heat and oxidising the basil.

Can I add protein to this dish? Yes. Poached or grilled chicken works well and is the most common addition. Pan-fried prawns are also a good match. For a more traditional Ligurian combination, add blanched green beans and small boiled potatoes along with the pesto. These are actually part of the classic recipe.

Want to add more veg? Add some fresh cherry tomatoes, blanched green beans, and some marinated vegetables (eggplant, peppers/capsicums) to this pasta with the sauce.