Creamy Pistachio Pesto Pasta

overhead shot of pistachio pesto pasta in large dish with tomatoes and burrata

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

This pistachio pesto pasta is beyond simple to make and tastes absolutely delicious!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £4 / $5

Equipment

Small Baking Dish (for tomatoes)
Fine Cheese Grater (for parmesan)
Food Processor and Spatula (for pesto)
Large Pot & Colander (for pasta)
Large Mixing Bowl (for combining)

Ingredients

Pesto

2x small bunches of Fresh Basil (60g/2oz)
80ml / 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or as needed
80g / 1/3 cup Ricotta
45g / 1/3 cup shelled Pistachios
30g / 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 small clove of Garlic
1/2 tsp Salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp Black Pepper, or to taste

Pasta

400g / 14oz uncooked Pasta of choice
400g / 14oz Cherry Tomatoes (see notes)
1/2 Lemon
1 ball of Burrata (optional - see notes)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
Add the tomatoes to a suitably-sized baking dish and toss with a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until they begin to wilt/burst with the juice starting to leak out.
Add the pasta to well-salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and collect a cup of the leftover pasta water (do this just before draining so it's at its starchiest). Try and match this step to when the tomatoes finish.
Meanwhile, place all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until everything is well-blended. Blitz in a drizzle more oil to thin it out if you need to.
Tip the drained pasta in to a large mixing bowl, then add in the pesto alongside a splash of the starchy pasta water (I start off with ~1/4 cup). Give it a really good mix, adding in more starchy pasta water as needed to create a silky/glossy sauce that clings to the pasta. Check for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper if needed.
I like to serve up right away with a squeeze of lemon juice and the roasted tomatoes on top (plus all the excess juice in the baking dish). The burrata is optional, but you can slice it open and steal some of the centre for an extra creamy finish (I just roughly dot it over when serving).

Video

Notes

a) Starchy Pasta Water - This is a key ingredient that helps thin out the pesto and create the sauce. The pesto will be fairly thick at the start, but the pasta water will help transform it into a silky, glossy sauce. Just work it in the pesto a splash at a time so you don't go overboard. Also, it's important to only collect the water at the very end so it's nice and starchy (more starch = creamier sauce).

b) Mixing - Don't mix the pasta over heat, the basil will burn and the pesto will go greasy. Use a large mixing bowl away from the heat (the leftover heat from the cooked pasta will keep everything warm, as will the pasta water).

c) Burrata - This is optional is you want the pasta extra creamy. You don't have to mix it through the pasta, just dot some over the pasta when you serve and it roughly mixes in as you eat. If you are using burrata, makes sure it's at room temp. You can gently rinse in warm water to speed this up if you need to.

d) Tomatoes - The sauce is quite rich, so the pops of sweetness from the tomatoes balances everything out nicely. Plus you get the added juices which are lovely poured over the pasta at the end.

e) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 4 without burrata.

Nutrition