🍝 Trofie al Pesto Genovese
Trofie al pesto genovese pairs Liguria's hand-rolled twisted pasta with raw basil pesto made from fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan and olive oil. The pesto is never cooked, only tossed with the hot pasta, so it stays bright green and fragrant. The texture is chewy and the flavour herby, nutty and garlicky.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 320 g trofie
- 50 g fresh basil leaves
- 30 g pine nuts
- 1 garlic clove
- 50 g parmesan, grated
- 80 ml olive oil
- Salt
Method
- Pound or blend the garlic, pine nuts and a pinch of salt.
- Add the basil and work it briefly, then mix in the parmesan and olive oil.
- Boil the trofie in salted water until al dente.
- Drain, keeping a little cooking water, and toss the pasta off the heat with the pesto, loosening with the water.
How to make it lighter
- Use about 25 g pesto per plate; 1 tbsp olive oil ≈ 120 kcal.
- Loosen the pesto with pasta water instead of extra oil.
- Add steamed green beans or courgette to bulk up the plate without much energy.
History
Trofie are traditionally made in the Recco and Camogli area east of Genoa, and pesto genovese is the region's signature sauce. Basil-based pesto in its modern form is documented in Ligurian cookbooks from the 19th century.
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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 →