Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta (Printable)

Vibrant spring pasta coated in a fragrant wild garlic and pine nut pesto, ready in 25 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Wild Garlic Pesto

01 - 2.65 oz wild garlic leaves, rinsed and patted dry
02 - 1.75 oz toasted pine nuts or walnuts
03 - 1.75 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1 garlic clove
05 - 3.4 fl oz extra virgin olive oil
06 - Juice of ½ lemon
07 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Pasta

08 - 14.1 oz dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or penne)
09 - Salt, for pasta water

→ Optional Garnish

10 - Extra grated Parmesan
11 - Freshly cracked black pepper

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 4 fl oz of the starchy pasta water before draining through a colander.
02 - While the pasta cooks, combine the wild garlic leaves, toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan, and peeled garlic clove in a food processor. Pulse several times until the ingredients are coarsely chopped and well combined.
03 - With the food processor running continuously, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil through the feed tube. Continue processing until a smooth, vibrant green paste forms. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
04 - Transfer the drained pasta back to the pot or to a large serving bowl. Add the wild garlic pesto and toss thoroughly to coat every strand. Splash in small amounts of the reserved pasta water until the sauce reaches a silky, clinging consistency.
05 - Divide among warmed plates or bowls. Finish with an extra shower of grated Parmesan and a generous crack of black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The pesto comes together in under five minutes if your food processor is within arm reach.
  • Wild garlic has a milder, more complex flavor than regular garlic, so the whole dish feels bright rather than heavy.
  • It turns a handful of foraged leaves into something that looks and tastes like you spent far more effort than you did.
02 -
  • Wild garlic pesto loses its vivid green color within hours so make only what you plan to eat today.
  • Adding the lemon juice at the very end rather than with the leaves helps preserve the brightness longer.
  • If you are foraging wild garlic be absolutely certain of identification because lily of the valley leaves look similar and are toxic.
03 -
  • Reserve more pasta water than you think you need because once it is gone you cannot get it back and it is the difference between a clumpy and a luxurious finish.
  • If you want to save leftover pesto for another day press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto its surface before refrigerating to slow the browning.

Return