Genoese pesto sauce is the authentic Italian sauce, with basil, pine nuts, oil and garlic. In general, it is used to flavor pasta or salads, although it can also be used for meat and fish. On this occasion, we have decided to prepare a delicious Genovese pesto pasta dish, ideal to surprise when we have guests.
Stay to discover with us the steps to follow, learn how to make Genovese pesto pasta and what variations exist. Also, we share all our tips and tricks for a result of 10.
Ingredients to make Genovese pesto pasta:
- 160 grams of pasta
- 1 splash of olive oil
- 1 pinch of salt
- For the Genoese pesto:
- 20 grams of pine nuts
- 30 grams of grated Parmesan cheese
- 50 grams of fresh basil
- 1 clove garlic
- 80 milliliters of olive oil
How to make Genovese pesto pasta:
- Boil the pastawith a splash of oil and a pinch of salt to enhance its flavor.
- Depending on the type of pasta you use, the cooking time will be or less, although in general it is usually around 8-10 minutes
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the Genovese pesto.
- To do this, lightly toast the pine nutsin a pan with very little oil.
- You can check the recipe for Genovese pesto step by step here: “Basil pesto “.
- Crushthe pine nuts with the chopped fresh basil, the Parmesan cheese, the minced garlic clove, the olive oil and a pinch of salt.
- To get juicier Genovese pesto pasta, add a little more oil, in this way you will get a greater amount of sauce.
- However, if you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the amounts as they are.
- Drain the pasta when it is ready and mix it with the sauce.
- Serve the Genovese pesto pasta recipeimmediately to enjoy the dish hot. You can sprinkle a little more grated cheese or pine nuts on top.
Authentic Pesto Pasta – Tips
The basil and pine nut pesto is the original, so the recipe we have learned to prepare can be considered a true pesto pasta. Although we have chosen a type of short pasta, if you prefer you can make spaghetti with pesto, macaroni, noodles, noodles…, the variety is the taste!
On the other hand, there are different variations of the traditional Genoese pesto, such as red pesto or Sicilian pesto, equally delicious and ideal to accompany all kinds of pasta and meat. In any case, we advise you to follow these recommendations to make the recipe in the purest Italian style:
- The traditional sauce is made in a mortar, with a lot of patience and love.
- If you dare, you should first crush the ingredients and, little by little, add the oil to bind them.
- The pasta must be al dente, that is, neither undercooked nor too much.
- To achieve this cooking point it is essential to review the package instructions and respect the times.
- The ideal is to serve the pasta and the sauce on it so that each diner can mix it to their liking.
- However, especially if you are going to serve the pasta later, you can always mix it all together in a pan to heat the food at the same time.
- If you don’t follow a vegetarian diet, add a chicken breast to the recipe, the result is incredible!