🍝 Farfalle with Genovese pesto
Farfalle al pesto genovese is bow-tie pasta tossed with raw basil pesto: fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan and olive oil pounded or blended into a bright green sauce. The pesto is never cooked, so it stays fragrant, herby and slightly nutty. A spoonful of pasta water helps it coat every piece evenly.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 350 g farfalle
- 50 g fresh basil leaves
- 30 g pine nuts
- 50 g parmesan, grated
- 1 garlic clove
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
Method
- Blend or pound the basil, pine nuts, garlic and a pinch of salt to a paste.
- Mix in the parmesan, then stir in the olive oil to make a loose pesto.
- Cook the farfalle in salted boiling water until al dente; keep a cup of pasta water.
- Off the heat, toss the pasta with the pesto, adding pasta water to loosen.
- Serve immediately, without reheating the sauce.
How to make it lighter
- Pesto is oil- and nut-rich: use about 1 heaped tablespoon per portion.
- Loosen the pesto with pasta water instead of extra oil.
- Add green beans or courgette to the pasta to make a bigger, lighter plate.
History
Pesto alla genovese comes from Genoa and the Liguria region, where small-leaf basil grows well. Written recipes for the basil sauce appear in the 19th century, and it has since become one of the best-known Italian pasta sauces worldwide.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →