Pasta with pesto of walnuts and spinach

•  5 minutes to prepare • 10 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

10 MINUTES 

In ancient times, pesto was a peasant condiment used to accompany pasta.
Depending on the different areas, its taste was different, as it was always made with simple ingredients available in nature: basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese in its classic version from Liguria; fresh mint and pecorino cheese in Tuscany; almonds, tomatoes and garlic in Sicily.

Today we present you to a tasty alternative for those who are "tired" of the typical pesto sauce. Few ingredients are here combined to perfection: spinach leaves replacing basil, walnuts instead of pine nuts...and Parmesan cheese.
Try it and you will not regret it, it is a condiment you may prepare in few minutes, excellent to season all kinds of pasta.
Here you find the recipe from Cucchiaio, however feel free to adjust it according to your taste, we won't get offended.

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

 

320 g Rigatoni pasta
100 g walnuts
100 g fresh spinach leaves
20 g  bread crumb
200 ml milk
40 g grated Parmesan cheese
EVO oil
salt

 

1. Rinse spinach leaves under water and dry them using a clean rag
2. Pour the milk in a medium size bowl and dunk the bread in it. Let it soften about 2 minutes. Then, wring out the bread crumb and keep it aside
3. Place walnuts in a blender together with the Parmesan cheese, and blend until you get a smooth mixture. Then, add spinach leaves, 8 tablespoons of EVO oil and the bread crumb. Blend again. Finally, add salt according to your taste
4. Boil water in a pot, add salt and once started to bubble, pour the rigatoni pasta
5. Take away one ladle of pasta cooking water and keep it aside. Then drain pasta 2 minutes before the cooking time indicated on the package and transfer them into a pan together with the walnuts and spinach pesto. Stir carefully adding cooking water if necessary
6. Serve hot garnishing with few spinach leaves and 1 walnut on top 

Finally, you find below Nutrition Facts of this dish. Data is provided per serving.

Walnuts and pears you plant for your heirs
(Portoguese proverb)