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Pasta with Arugula Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts Recipe

Pasta with Arugula Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: 25 mins | Active Time: | Makes: 4 servings (and about 2 cups of the pesto)

This twist on classic pesto swaps arugula for basil, making a peppery sauce that goes nicely with toasted pine nuts and sun-dried tomatoes. For something extra, grate a little pecorino or Parmesan cheese on top before serving.

What to buy: Sun-dried tomatoes come packed dry or in oil and can be found in most grocery stores. Here we use tomatoes packed in oil because they give more flavor than their dry counterparts (which need to be reconstituted before using).

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 pound pasta, such as orecchiette, gemelli, or conchiglie
  • 10 ounces arugula, washed and tough stems removed
  • 5 medium garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
  • 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and thinly sliced
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Cook pasta according to the directions on the package.
  2. Meanwhile, combine arugula, garlic, lemon juice, and half of the pine nuts in a food processor. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil and process until evenly blended, about 2 minutes. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and process again to blend in seasoning.
  3. Drain pasta and return to the pot (but do not return to heat). Add arugula pesto, remaining pine nuts, and sun-dried tomatoes and mix until evenly combined. Serve immediately.

Beverage pairing: Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina, Italy. Falanghina is a greenish-gold wine from southern Italy with lovely hints of pear, lemon, and fresh herbs, making it a savory delight and an excellent match for pastas and vegetables. This one is somewhat richer in body than most, which makes it a nice contrast for a light, summery pasta.

    Write a review | 13 Reviews
  • Pasta with Arugula Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts Recipe
    5

    If you love arugula, this is great, but if you don't, then don't bother. I make arugula pesto when the garden arugula bolts and gets VERY pepppery - too much so to eat in salad. But I use pistachios which are a lot less expensive, and use good chicken broth for thinning and so a lot less oil, and add a strong cheese such as pecorino romano. With garlic and s&p to taste. Don't heat the arugula - that turns it brown.

  • Pasta with Arugula Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts Recipe
    5

    use almonds or walnuts for texture and less $$. add fresh spinach to tone down the arugula also less $$...unless you belong to a 'CSA"group. be creative/adventurous... use a 'recipe' as a guide !!!

  • Pasta with Arugula Pesto, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, and Pine Nuts Recipe
    5

    One time I was tasting pesto and it was really ugly, but this one looks so good.

  • The missing key ingredient is Parmesan cheese.

  • The acid in the lemon juice will turn the Arugula from green to that ugly dark color. To prevent this just add lemon zest (no juice) & your Pesto will stay bright & healthy looking. I think most people will think 5 cloves of garlic is too much, just use less (2 or 3).

  • I just made this and it was disgusting. A couple people in the family liked it and those were the people who lost most of there sense. It really does taste like your eating grass and adding cheese doesn't even help. It does feel like it is missing one key thing but i couldn't think of it. This was a very expensive disgusting healthy meal. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS.

  • Update; oddly this recipe tasted better after 24 hours in the fridge. Not quite as lime green and definitely not as bitter. I do think the suggestion to add some pasta water would help matters.

  • well I don't normally take the time for feedback but I made this for my vegan daughter and while it was not awful it was definitely not worth the expense and the time. To begin with 10 oz of arugula is difficult to locate in bulk. I had to go to whole foods and it cost about $9. Add $5 for the pine nuts. then factor in the time to pull the stems from the arugula and the meal has officially become a hassle. Cheaper to simply buy regular pesto. The final product is a bright lime green which is surprisingly wierd, off putting and bitter. I think the recipe has too much garlic. I finally added a bunch of parmesan cheese to my plate (couldn't for the vegan ) and a ton of salt and plowed through the meal. But never again. Tasted and looked somewhat like grass with sundried tomatoes :) (all in all it was a four hour fiasco) :) But I love this site and will keep trying. I wonder if the editors try these recipes before blast emailing them out?

  • depending on the type and place you buy arugula it can be very peppery. in response to making this without nuts. OF course you can. If you want, add a little more cheese. To give more texture; after you process... put in a bowla nd add some shredded instead of grated parmesan. It will give texture and more flavor without adding nuts. Go ahead and make the fiance pesto without nuts!

  • I know it's not pesto without the pine nuts, but does anyone have any suggestions for making a pesto-like sauce without the nuts? My fiance is allergic to nuts and the thought of never making pesto again is just sad.

  • Arugula is also called rocket....The garlic is toned down with the olive oil but keeps everything in balance. I like to cut the extra virgin with a little canola or vegetable oil just to take a little of the grassy edge off.

  • I always reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining and add it back to the dish for sauces like this. Makes the sauce a bit more "saucy" and brings the flavors together. I'd probably trim down the garlic a bit, although maybe the arugula needs something that strong to balance it?

  • I normally add some almond flour to soak up arugula's bitterness. It really helps stabilizing the flavors. Also, 5 garlic cloves are going to overflow everything, no?

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