Quick Pasta Recipe with Parsley-Mint Pesto
In this quick pasta recipe with parsley-mint pesto, I cook the pasta in a way counter-intuitive to everything I have been taught.
Cook Pasta Even Faster
While researching for this recipe, I read this article on Serious Eats, and was so intrigued, decided I needed to experiment! It turns out that big pot of water we’ve been waiting for to boil all these years to cook pasta? There’s no need. And that handful of salt we add to the water? There’s no need. Skeptical? I was too.
Sourcing High-Quality Pasta
I like to buy pasta from small artisanal producers such as Leah Ferrazzani’s Semolina Artisanal Pasta. What I love about Leah’s pastas is that actually they have flavor (read, they don’t taste like cardboard). When I cook, I prefer to use high quality ingredients such as these, and showcase the ingredients with simple preparations. Leah uses organic wheat that is U.S. grown. Her pasta is slow-dried, preserving the natural flavor of the wheat.
Serving Suggestions
Try this with Quick-Marinated Garlic and Lemon Shrimp, or Broccoli and Sugar Snap Pea Salad.
Quick Pasta Recipe with Parsley-Mint Pesto
Ingredients
Pesto
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1½ cups Italian Parsley leaves
- ½ cup mint leaves
- pinch fine sea salt
- ¼ cup walnut halves
- ⅓ cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated, or to taste
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- black pepper, freshly ground, 4-5 grinds
Pasta
- 1/2 pound Semolina Artisanal Pasta, a short variety, not a long variety such as spaghetti (I used Conchiglie)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Get out a large cutting board. Finely chop together the garlic, parsley, mint, pinch of salt, walnuts, and cheese. Scrape into a large serving bowl and mix with oil.
- To cook pasta, put dry pasta in a pot and cover with cold water by 1-2”. Add ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn to a simmer, cover, and cook 2-3 minutes less than package instructions. Drain well, and mix with pesto in serving bowl.
Notes
