Fusilli With White Pesto Recipes

PESTO WITH FUSILLI

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil, add pasta, and cook to al dente.
• In a food processor, combine basil and pine nuts, and blend. Add the garlic and drizzle in the olive oil while the processor is in operation. When the mixture turns to a paste, add the salt, pepper, and Parmesan, and pulse until well blended.
• To serve, simply combine the pasta and pesto together, and sprinkle Parmesan on top.

FUSILLI WITH TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Toast the almonds in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until lightly browned and starting to crackle, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor; reserve the skillet. Add the basil and garlic to the food processor, season with salt and pepper and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tomatoes, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and process until mostly smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl and stir in the Parmesan.
• Salt the boiling water, add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup cooking water, then drain. Add the pasta to the bowl with the pesto and toss well to coat, adding splashes of the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt and pepper.
• While the pasta cooks, cook the bacon in the reserved skillet over medium heat, stirring, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the panko and continue to cook, stirring, until golden and crisp, 1 more minute. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Divide the pasta among bowls. Top with the bacon-panko mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan and sliced basil.

FUSILLI WITH SPICY PESTO

Steps:

• For the pesto: In a food processor, combine the walnuts, garlic, jalapeno, cheese, salt and pepper. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the spinach and arugula and process until blended. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place the cooked pasta and pesto in a large serving bowl. Toss well and thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Asiago cheese shavings and serve.
• *Cook's Note: For a milder pesto, remove the seeds from the jalapeno pepper.

FUSILLI WITH SPINACH WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta.
• Pulse the spinach, basil, walnuts, garlic, and salt in a food processor. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Process to make a smooth paste, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Pour the fusilli into the boiling water, and cook until al dente. Scrape half of the pesto into a large skillet, and add 1 cup pasta water (no need to heat the sauce). Use a spider to drain the pasta and transfer to the skillet. Toss to coat the pasta with the pesto. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss with the grated cheese and serve.
• notes
• You can freeze the remaining half of the pesto for future use. Just pack it into a plastic container and pour a thin film of olive oil over the top. Thaw in refrigerator before using. Or you can cut the recipe in half, if you just want enough for 1 pound of pasta.

PASTA WITH PUMPKIN SEED PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to a boil. Drop the garlic cloves into the boiling water and boil for 30 seconds to temper their sharpness. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cloves to a food processor or blender.
• Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente.
• While the pasta cooks, add the pumpkin seeds and a pinch each of salt and pepper to the garlic, and process until very finely ground. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the basil. Scoop 1/4 cup water from the saucepan with the boiling pasta and pour over the basil. Process the basil until ground to a paste. Add the Parmesan and oil, and pulse just until incorporated. Taste the pesto and season with enough salt and pepper to make it punchy.
• Drain the pasta and rinse under cool water until room temperature. Shake dry, then return to the saucepan, and add the pesto and tomatoes, if using. Stir well until everything is evenly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among dishes to serve right away or airtight containers to pack for lunch. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and Parmesan, and serve, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

FUSILLI WITH SPINACH AND WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Add spinach and 1 tablespoon water to a large skillet set over medium-high. Cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. In a food processor, combine spinach, walnuts, oil, and lemon zest. Process until mixture forms a smooth paste, scraping down bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta. Return pasta to pot and add pesto, tossing to combine and adding enough pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Transfer to a serving plate, top with pecorino, and serve immediately.

FUSILLI WITH WHITE PESTO

Steps:

• Toast the nuts in a small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just golden and fragrant, 4-5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a big pot.
• Lower skewered garlic into the water, boil for 45 seconds, immediately run garlic under cold water; remove from skewer, peel, and mince.
• Place nuts, garlic, oil, and ½ teaspoon salt in a food processor; process until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Transfer mixture to a small bowl; stir in the cheeses, and adjust the salt.
• Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water.
• Cook until al dente; reserve ½ cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and transfer it back to the cooking pot.
• Mix in ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water and the pesto; use the additional ¼ cup cooking water as needed to moisten the sauce.
• Divide among 4 warmed pasta bowls and serve immediately.