Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto
- Comments()
Everyday Food, March 2007
- Prep Time 25 minutes
- Total Time 25 minutes
- Yield Serves 4
Add to Shopping List
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fettuccine
- Coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, plus more for serving (optional)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 teaspoon grated zest plus 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Directions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; immediately drain pasta, and return to pot.
- While pasta is cooking, place spinach, Parmesan, nuts, garlic, and lemon zest and juice in a food processor. Process until a paste forms. With motor running, add oil and 1/4 cup cold water; process until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add to pasta; toss, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time until sauce is thinned slightly and coats fettuccine (you may not need all the water). Serve, sprinkled with additional Parmesan and nuts, if desired.
Great recipe! My meat and potato boyfriend even liked this. I added some fresh parsley (stole idea from another spinach basil recipe) and used peanuts and fresh spinach. A recipe- thanks
Delicious! and easy! I used fresh spinach which I did not cook before hand. I immediately added the pesto to the hot pasta, and it was not bitter at all.
I am going to make this with fresh spinach as well. I would atleast blanch the fresh spinach to get rid of some of the bitterness.
I want to make this with fresh spinach as well, can you provide a conversion measurement? And would you really need to cook the spinach - seems like hot pasta would cook it. L
I have read where you can make pesto with asperagus as well. Wonder if you can make this recipe with fresh spinach???
What would you serve as a side dish with this?
Where I live, pine nuts are CRAZY expensive so I use almonds instead - which are also a great source of calcium !
Delicious! I didn't have pine nuts so I substituted hazel nuts and it was still delicious.
This is delicious! My current favorite stand-by pasta dish (and favorite "carb-loading" dish before a long run)! The lemon juice/zest makes the dish taste so fresh! I serve with whole wheat fettuccine...sometimes as a side, often as a main course on a busy evening.
I agree-caolrie andfat content are very important to me as well. Thanks Martha and Everyday Food staff!
As we are becoming a health consenious nation, I would like to see the amount of calaries, fat content fibre, amounts after each reciipe
When making the spinach pesto sauce in the processor, are you saying to add a cup a water (as in the directions but not in the ingredients)?