la pasta al pesto (2024)

FAQs

What is al pesto made of? ›

Pesto, or pesto alla genovese, is a basil-based sauce that originated in Genoa, the capital of Liguria, Italy. Traditional pesto is made with basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, and Parmesan (or another type of hard Italian cheese, such as Pecorino).

This creamy Trenette Al Pesto is the traditional Ligurian pasta dish featured in Disney-Pixar's Luca. Trenette pasta is cooked with tender potatoes and sliced green beans, then seasoned simply with Genovese basil pesto.

Pesto Pasta Ingredients

Onion and oil: Cook the onion in olive oil until it's translucent. Pesto: Use store-bought or homemade pesto sauce. Seasonings: This pesto pasta is simply seasoned with salt and pepper. Cheese: Grate your own Parmesan cheese instead of using the pre-shredded stuff.

Given all of the above, pesto can undoubtedly be considered a healthy food, and as long as you keep track of portions, it can also be part of a diet that supports a healthy weight. Pesto is nutrient-dense, and because of its fat content, it's also calorically dense.

The Bottom Line. Pesto is higher in calories than some sauces but it's also made with super-healthy ingredients, like basil, olive oil and nuts. I find it's a great way to add more flavor to pasta dishes and even vegetables and proteins.

Its scarcity, plus the fact that the plants are picked roots, soil, and all to ensure that only juvenile leaves make it into pesto, makes it extraordinarily expensive and something that only premium, artisan pesto makers can justify using.

"Luca" is a Pixar movie set in a fictional location inspired by real small towns in Italy, adding to the magic of the film. Director Enrico Casarosa's personal childhood memories influenced the plot, setting, and themes of "Luca".

The titular character, Luca Paguro, is a sea monster with the ability to shape-shift into human form when on dry land.

Italian Tradition

Pesto is the perfect sauce to enjoy with a dish of trofie (the traditional Ligurian short pasta), lasagna, potato gnocchi or as a topping for a bowl of minestrone. It can be mixed into tomato sauce to enhance the flavor of pasta dishes or used with fish fillets to make them more appetizing.

Pesto is that wonderfully green sauce that offers a flavor that can best be described as bright and pungent, with a basil-forward, herbaceous garden aroma suspended with delicate olive oil, enriched with pine nuts (pignoli), and kicked into overdrive with Italian cheeses and garlic.

Is pesto bad for blood pressure? ›

Dieticians consider pesto's positive health benefits to far outweigh their negatives, especially when it comes to high blood pressure.

Online discussions of pesto generally talk about the risk of its developing dangerous pathogens, especially those that can cause botulism. Since garlic bulbs (one of the main ingredients of pesto) grow underground, there is a risk of serious illness from botulinum spores.

Including pesto in moderation in a balanced diet is advised due to its calorie and fat content from ingredients like olive oil and cheese. Consuming pesto daily may lead to excessive calorie intake, so it's recommended to enjoy it a few times a week alongside a variety of other nutritious foods.

Traditional pesto is a blend of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, extra-virgin olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. With a food processor, it comes together in just a few steps: Pulse the nuts, lemon juice, and garlic in the food processor until they're finely chopped.

What does pesto taste like? Traditional pesto is a thick, green sauce that tastes bright and herby from the basil, and salty and rich from the cheeses and pine nuts. It should be garlicky, with pleasant grassiness from good quality olive oil.

As you would expect, pesto's wider variety of ingredients means it does slightly better in the vitamin and mineral stakes. Pesto outsmarts tomato sauce in many of these, but the pasta sauce still provides a sizeable chunk of your recommended daily targets.

The reason is because classic basil pesto contains pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which are both made from milk curdled in animal rennet. That means that most of the pesto sauces you see on supermarket shelves are not vegetarian.