Spinach Pesto Fusilli Recipes

SPINACH PESTO FUSILLI

Steps:

• Place half the spinach in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add remaining spinach and pulse to chop. Add 1/2 cup pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper to the processor and puree.
• With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream. Transfer pesto to a large bowl. If making in advance, cover pesto with light coating of olive oil and cover with plastic. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente, about 6-8 minutes, or according to package instructions. Drain pasta and immediately toss with pesto.
• Serve pasta garnished with remaining pine nuts, grated Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil.

FUSILLI WITH SPINACH-NUT PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs; drain and return to the pot.
• Meanwhile, make the pesto: Pulse the nuts and garlic in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the spinach in batches, pulsing until chopped. Add the lemon zest and juice. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a steady stream; process until smooth, 1 minute. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste.
• Add the pesto and tomatoes to the pot with the pasta, season with salt and pepper and toss. Divide among bowls; drizzle with olive oil and top with chopped nuts.

FUSILLI WITH SPICY PESTO

Steps:

• For the pesto: In a food processor, combine the walnuts, garlic, jalapeno, cheese, salt and pepper. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the spinach and arugula and process until blended. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place the cooked pasta and pesto in a large serving bowl. Toss well and thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Asiago cheese shavings and serve.
• *Cook's Note: For a milder pesto, remove the seeds from the jalapeno pepper.

SPINACH PESTO PASTA WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Boil the pasta according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, boil a kettle of water, then slowly pour over the spinach in a colander until it wilts. Shake off the excess water, then put the spinach into a food processor.
• Add the garlic, oil, half of the cheese and most of the pine nuts to the processor with the spinach, then pulse to a pesto-like sauce. Season with the nutmeg and salt and pepper. Stir through the hot, drained pasta and serve topped with the olives and the remaining crumbled cheese and pine nuts.

FUSILLI WITH SPINACH WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta.
• Pulse the spinach, basil, walnuts, garlic, and salt in a food processor. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Process to make a smooth paste, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Pour the fusilli into the boiling water, and cook until al dente. Scrape half of the pesto into a large skillet, and add 1 cup pasta water (no need to heat the sauce). Use a spider to drain the pasta and transfer to the skillet. Toss to coat the pasta with the pesto. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss with the grated cheese and serve.
• notes
• You can freeze the remaining half of the pesto for future use. Just pack it into a plastic container and pour a thin film of olive oil over the top. Thaw in refrigerator before using. Or you can cut the recipe in half, if you just want enough for 1 pound of pasta.

SPINACH PESTO

Steps:

• Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor; cover and pulse until chopped. Add the walnuts, lemon juice and zest; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream., Serve desired amount of pesto with pasta. Transfer remaining pesto to ice cube trays. Cover and freeze up to 1 month., To use frozen pesto: Thaw in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Serve with pasta.

FUSILLI WITH SPINACH AND WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Add spinach and 1 tablespoon water to a large skillet set over medium-high. Cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. In a food processor, combine spinach, walnuts, oil, and lemon zest. Process until mixture forms a smooth paste, scraping down bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta. Return pasta to pot and add pesto, tossing to combine and adding enough pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Transfer to a serving plate, top with pecorino, and serve immediately.

FUSILLI WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA PESTO

Steps:

• Toast the nuts in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just golden and fragrant, 4-5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a big pot; lower the skewered garlic into the water; boil for 45 seconds.
• Immediately run the garlic under cold water; remove from skewer, peel, and mince.
• Place the nuts, garlic, spinach, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the work bowl of a food processor; process until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, stir in the cheeses, and adjust the salt.
• Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water; cook until al dente.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and transfer it back to the cooking pot.
• Mix in 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water and the pesto; use the additional 1/4 cup cooking water as needed to moisten the sauce.
• Divide among 4 warmed bowls and serve immediately.