Wild Garlic Pesto Pasta (Printable View)

Fresh wild garlic pesto tossed with al dente pasta for a vibrant spring vegetarian main.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz dried spaghetti or linguine
02 - 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for pasta water

→ Wild Garlic Pesto

03 - 2.8 oz fresh wild garlic leaves, washed and patted dry
04 - 1 oz pine nuts (or walnuts for a rustic variation)
05 - 1.8 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese
06 - ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
07 - 1 small garlic clove, optional
08 - Juice of ½ lemon
09 - Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

10 - Additional freshly grated Parmesan for serving
11 - Wild garlic leaves or edible flowers, optional

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water — this is key to building a silky sauce.
02 - While the pasta cooks, combine the wild garlic leaves, pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil, garlic clove (if using), and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Season with salt and pepper, then blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
03 - Drain the pasta and return it immediately to the warm pot. Add the wild garlic pesto and toss vigorously, splashing in reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce coats every strand evenly and reaches a luxurious, silky consistency.
04 - Divide the pesto pasta among warm plates or bowls. Finish with an extra shower of grated Parmesan and a scattering of wild garlic leaves or edible flowers if desired. Serve without delay.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The pesto comes together in under ten minutes and requires zero cooking, just a blender and willingness to forage or grab a bunch from the farmers market.
  • It transforms a plain weeknight pasta into something that looks and tastes like it belongs at a spring dinner party with good wine and crusty bread.
02 -
  • Wild garlic pesto loses its electric green color quickly once blended, so serve it right away or press a layer of olive oil over the surface if you need to store it for a few hours.
  • The pasta water trick genuinely changes everything and I ignored it for years out of laziness, but once I started reserving that starchy liquid my sauces stopped sliding off the noodles.
03 -
  • Toasting the pine nuts in a dry pan for two minutes before blending wakes up a warmth and sweetness that raw nuts simply do not have.
  • If your pesto feels too thick and stubborn after blending, add another tablespoon of olive oil or lemon juice rather than more pasta water because fat carries flavor better than starch.

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