Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta (Printable Version)

Fresh spring pasta tossed with vibrant wild garlic pesto, pine nuts, and Parmesan. Ready in 25 minutes.

# Ingredient List:

→ Wild Garlic Pesto

01 - 2.6 ounces wild garlic leaves, rinsed and patted dry
02 - 1.8 ounces toasted pine nuts (or walnuts)
03 - 1.8 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
04 - 1 garlic clove, peeled
05 - ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
06 - Juice of ½ lemon
07 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Pasta

08 - 14 ounces 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:

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 ½ cup of starchy pasta water before draining in a colander.
02 - While the pasta cooks, combine the wild garlic leaves, toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan, and garlic clove in a food processor. Pulse several times until the ingredients are roughly chopped and combined.
03 - With the processor running continuously, slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil through the feed tube until a smooth, vibrant green paste forms. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
04 - Add the drained pasta to a large bowl or back to the pot. Spoon the wild garlic pesto over the pasta and toss vigorously, adding splashes of the reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky, even coating.
05 - Divide among serving bowls immediately. Finish with extra grated Parmesan and freshly cracked black pepper if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The pesto comes together in under five minutes with a food processor and zero cooking.
  • Wild garlic delivers a flavor that is somewhere between garlic, chives, and spring itself, far more delicate than regular cloves.
  • It transforms a plain weeknight pasta into something that looks and tastes like it came from a garden party.
02 -
  • Wild garlic pesto loses its bright color quickly if left exposed to air, so cover the surface with a thin layer of olive oil if you are storing it.
  • Adding the lemon juice at the very end rather than with the leaves helps preserve the vibrant green shade.
  • Do not skip the pasta water because it is the difference between a clumpy paste and a silky sauce that clings to every bite.
03 -
  • Toast the nuts in a dry pan over medium heat just until fragrant, watching like a hawk because they go from golden to burnt in seconds.
  • Pat the wild garlic leaves completely dry before processing because excess water makes the pesto slippery instead of lush.

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