🍝 Orecchiette with pesto alla genovese
This dish pairs orecchiette, the little ear-shaped pasta of Apulia, with Genoa's raw basil pesto made from fresh basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic and olive oil. The cupped pasta catches the bright green sauce, giving a fragrant, herby and nutty bite. It is served warm, straight after tossing, sometimes with extra grated cheese.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 320 g dried orecchiette
- 50 g fresh basil leaves
- 30 g pine nuts
- 50 g Parmesan, grated
- 1 garlic clove
- 80 ml olive oil
- Salt
Method
- Cook the orecchiette in salted boiling water until al dente.
- Meanwhile blend or pound the basil, pine nuts, garlic and a pinch of salt, then stir in the Parmesan and olive oil.
- Drain the pasta, keeping a little cooking water.
- Toss the pasta with the pesto off the heat, loosening it with a few spoonfuls of the water.
- Serve at once.
How to make it lighter
- Use 2 tbsp pesto per serving — 1 tbsp olive oil alone is about 120 kcal.
- Stretch the sauce with extra cooking water rather than extra oil.
- Add steamed green beans or courgette to bulk out a smaller pasta portion.
History
The dish joins two regional traditions: orecchiette from Apulia in the south and pesto alla genovese from Liguria in the north, first written down in recipes of the nineteenth century. Combining them is a modern, home-style choice found across Italy today.
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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 →