Casarecce al pesto

How to make it match the pesto.

This Italian pasta recipe features pesto sauce , a very simple, delicious, tasty sauce and a staple in Italian cuisine.

The dish that I present to you today could not be easier, but you can change this traditional recipe to your liking. It can serve as a base for other pasta recipes.

Well, in Italy they do it, the Italian pesto has different variants, on the blog you can also find the pesto rosso or a pesto with walnuts for example.

In some pesto sauces, the cured cheese is replaced by ricotta cheese, giving rise to a creamier sauce. This recipe can be eaten hot, warm or cold (in summer it is great, almost like a pasta salad).

At home we have prepared it in all possible ways and the best option is to accompany it with these Garofalo casseroles . This dense sauce integrates very well with this type of short, slightly curly pasta, just yummy. You will tell me if you prepare it.

Preparation of the pesto sauce

1. Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan over low heat for a few minutes. We remove from the heat when they are lightly toasted and let them cool before using them.
2. We grate the two cheeses, the pecorino and the parmesan. We can substitute the pecorino cheese for a semi-cured Manchego cheese of our choice.
3. We wash the basil leaves gently and drain well. Peel the garlic clove and cut it into cubes.
4. In a blender glass we incorporate the ingredients of the pesto sauce, little by little.
5. We will therefore add the fresh basil leaves, the roasted pine nuts, the chopped garlic clove, a pinch of salt, the pecorino and parmesan cheeses and the olive oil.
6. We crush with a mixer or with a kitchen robot, until we get the desired texture.
7. We reserve the sauce until the moment we add it to the pasta.

Preparation of the pasta

1. The first step is to have the sauce ready before the pasta touches the water. The sauce should always wait for the pasta and not the other way around.
2. We heat a liter of water for every 100 g of pasta in a saucepan. These proportions, which are normally indicated on the packaging, help the pasta not stick together. It is not necessary to add olive oil to the cooking water so that the pasta does not stick.
3. When the water begins to boil, add 1 generous handful of salt, about 2 level tablespoons per 500 grams of pasta.
4. At that time we add the casseroles in one go, all together, and stir for a moment with a wooden spoon.
5. We cook the casseroles for 11 minutes to get a pasta “al dente” or at the right point. Once the pasta is cooked, we drain it immediately.
6. In a bowl, mix the freshly made casarecce with the reserved pesto sauce.
7. We serve immediately with a pinch of grated cheese, pecorino or parmesan.

I am sure it will become one of your favorite Italian dishes. Bon Appetite!

Here you have a step by step in photos where I show how to prepare this recipe of casarecce with pesto.  Do not miss any detail so that they come out perfect.

Tips for a perfect house with pesto

• A very simple recipe to prepare and that will come out perfect as long as you take care of two things: the ingredients and the way to cook the pasta. You can give it a fresher touch if you are in summer adding a few cubes of fresh apple, the contrast of textures is delicious.
• If you are going to prepare the sauce, you can do it in quantity. It is a very grateful sauce to accompany, in addition to pasta, meat, fish or vegetable dishes or even make appetizer canapés with it.
• Perfect for a romantic dinner or a party at home with friends, it goes well with everything. This recipe has two versions, one fast and one slow. If you don’t have time, Garofalo makes it easy for you, as well as its pasta they have a good selection of sauces, including pesto sauce . open and ready.