Arugula Walnut Pesto Pasta

Bring a splash of color to your table with this delicious Arugula Walnut Pesto Pasta. A refreshing and healthy pesto ready in under 5 minutes making it perfect for your weeknight dinner rotation.

Easy Arugula Walnut Pesto Pasta Recipe

If you love the flavors of pesto, you will love the nuttiness of this arugula and walnut pesto. Each ingredient on its own is a favorite of mine, the walnuts, the baby arugula which I love to add to salads, the olive oil which I pretty much add to every dish I make, the garlic which I cannot live without and last but not least, Parmesan cheese which I adore.

But together they become a harmonious blend of nuttiness and saltiness. The best part? The super fresh pesto is so quick to whip up and packs tons of nutrients and fiber – did I mention it’s also vegetarian?

• Cheese – Parmesan cheese, a chunk of the good stuff freshly grated.
• Olive oil – Any will do but if I have a bottle of the nice stuff laying around I like to use a bit of that.
• Walnuts – We’re using this in place of pine nuts today but you can use whichever nuts you prefer!
• Greens – We want some peppery, mild, slightly sweet baby arugula.
• Garlic – Be sure to use fresh cloves, we want these to puree to a creamy consistency.
• Salt & pepper – To taste.
• Pasta – I like to use shaped pasta with lots of ridges for all that delicious pesto to stick to. Feel free to use whichever kind you prefer!

This recipe takes very little effort! All you have to do is cook some pasta and blend a few ingredients in your blender. Just follow these easy steps and you’ll have dinner on the table in just about 17 minutes!

To begin, you first need to cook the pasta. So bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Now, add the pasta and cook it according to the package instructions until al dente. Then when it’s done, reserve one cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Now, set the water and pasta aside for a later step.

While the pasta is cooking, you can make your pesto which is really simple to do. All you have to do is add the rest of the ingredients to your blend and blend until smooth. If you find the pesto is too thick, add a bit of that reserved pasta water. Set aside until ready to use.

Now that our pasta is cooked and our pesto is made all we have to do is combine the two. So add the pasta and pesto to a bowl and toss well, making sure the pasta is fully coated in the pesto. Serve immediately, garnished with extra Parmesan cheese.

Up The Flavor

If you want this dish to become your own personal flavor bomb be sure to toast your nuts before incorporating them into your pesto. Toast them in a dry pan till they’re super fragrant before taking off the heat and allowing to cool.

No Food Processor?

Fear not! You can just as easily whip up this pesto in your blender. I would recommend chopping up the arugula first and mincing the garlic before adding it to the blender, otherwise you might be forced to blend it more than needed and it would turn it into a smoother pesto.

Storing Leftover Pesto

Store in an airtight container for 5 – 7 days in the fridge but don’t be afraid to freeze your creation! It will last beautifully for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Storing Leftover Pasta

This dish will last 3 – 4 days sealed well in the fridge and up to 3 months frozen. It can be microwaved to reheat or heated up right in the oven still frozen.

Other Delicious Pasta Recipes To Try

• Creamy Cajun Pastalaya
• One Pot Hamburger Helper Lasagna
• Pasta Pomodoro
• Chicken Pesto Caprese Pasta
• Penne with Prosciutto, Tomatoes and Zucchini
• Leftover Ham And Cheese Penne
• Greek Chicken Pasta
• Broccoli Pasta

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4.50 from 10 votes

Arugula Walnut Pesto Pasta

Prep 5 minutes minutes

Cook 12 minutes minutes

Total 17 minutes minutes

6

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Bring a splash of color to your table with this delicious Arugula Walnut Pesto Pasta. A refreshing and healthy pesto ready in under 5 minutes making it perfect for your weeknight dinner rotation.

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Ingredients

• ▢ 12 ounce dry pasta (I used gemelli)

Pesto

• ▢ 4 cups arugula (packed, I used baby arugula)
• ▢ ⅔ cup olive oil
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic (peeled)
• ▢ ½ cup walnuts
• ▢ ¾ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

• Cook the pasta according to package instructions and drain. Reserve about a cup of pasta water.
  
• Add the arugula, olive oil, garlic, walnuts, Parmesan, salt and pepper to a blender and pulse until smooth. If the pesto is too thick add some pasta water until desired consistency.
  
• Toss the pasta together with the pesto and top with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
  

Equipment

• Ninja 72 oz Countertop Blender
• Pasta Cooker Set

Notes

1. Always wash your greens properly, so give that arugula good rinse with cold water and dry it with a salad spinner or between layers of paper towels.
2. Feel free to adjust the garlic in the recipe. I prefer a really garlicky pesto which is why I use 4 cloves, but if you want less garlic start with 1 clove and give it a taste.
3. I like to fill an ice cube tray with my pesto and place it in the freezer for a quick pop of flavor in my dishes that ready on hand.
4. Store leftover pesto in an airtight container for 5 – 7 days in the fridge but don’t be afraid to freeze your creation! It will last beautifully for up to 3 months in the freezer.This dish will last 3 – 4 days sealed well in the fridge and up to 3 months frozen. It can be microwaved to reheat or heated up right in the oven still frozen.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 541kcal (27%)Carbohydrates: 45g (15%)Protein: 14g (28%)Fat: 35g (54%)Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)Cholesterol: 9mg (3%)Sodium: 305mg (13%)Potassium: 236mg (7%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 2g (2%)Vitamin A: 414IU (8%)Vitamin C: 2mg (2%)Calcium: 194mg (19%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.