Walnut Pesto Pasta
with tomatoes and rocket
Did you know? Pesto doesn’t have to be exclusively made with pine nuts and basil? Whilst that’s the most classic combination [and certainly delicious] the word pesto actually translates to mean “to crush” or “to pound” and really it’s more about the process than the ingredients. So as long as you’ve got herbs, nuts, some good olive oil, and seasoning you’re well on your way to a delicious green sauce. Here, we’ve used a mix of herbs and walnuts. We’ve also added parmesan however this can be left out if you prefer - you may just need a little more salt!
Ingredients
For the walnut pesto
20g fresh basil leaves [about 2 large handfuls]
10g fresh parsley leaves [about 1 large handful]
10g fresh chives [about 1 large handful]
70g walnuts
3 garlic cloves, crushed
45g grated parmesan
½ lemon, juiced
150ml extra-virgin olive oil
For the rest
350g wholewheat pasta
1 bag of fresh rocket leaves
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
Parmesan flakes, to garnish
Method
Begin by boiling a saucepan of salted water and cooking the pasta as per packet instructions.
Meanwhile place the ingredients for the pesto into a blender and blend until your desired pesto consistency is reached. Alternatively, you can use a pestle and mortar to “pound” everything together - start with the garlic and salt and crush to paste, then bash in the herbs before adding the parmesan. Slowly pour in the olive oil until it’s emulsified, finish with the lemon juice and season to taste.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add it to a large bowl along with the rocket leaves and cherry tomatoes.
Pour the pesto on top and mix well before serving with some parmesan flakes, if using. Enjoy!
Serves 4.
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