Spaghetti alla chitarra with lemon pesto

We love pasta and have it almost every day and I constantly need new pasta recipes. Lately I’ve tried different pesto recipes and this one was perfect for our evening pasta.

Prep time 10 min    Cook time 8-10 min depending on your pasta
INGREDIENTS FOR 4
  • 320g pasta alla chitarra (tonnarelli)
  • 1 lemon –  preferably organic
  • 30 g between fresh basil, thyme, marjoram, parsley, mint
  • 30 g peeled almonds
  • 30 g grated Parmesan
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • pinch of coarse salt

1. While cooking the pasta, prepare the lemon-herb pesto.

2. Grate the zest of 1/4 of a lemon (avoid the white part, it will make your pesto bitter), squeeze the juice of a half a lemon, add all the ingredients in a bowl and use a mixer or a hand blender until the pesto is quite smooth. Check for taste. I grated too much of the zest  therefore my pesto was too lemony at the end. I kind of liked it but will definitely use less zest the next time. Of course it depends on the size of your lemon. So start with less and add if needed.

3. Drain the pasta 1-2 minutes before it’s al dente and pour it into a pan. Mix the pesto with the pasta, add some pasta water and let simmer for 1 minute.

4. Sprinkle the Parmesan on your pasta.

Tip: keep always a glass of your pasta water to add into the pan if necessary while you mix your pasta with the sauce

Tip: no need to use all the above mentioned herbs or you could use others

BUON APPETITO!

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