Best Almond Pesto Pasta Recipes

CREAMY PESTO PASTA WITH ALMOND BREEZE

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven or large pasta pot, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta water, rinse and return to pot. Set aside.
• In a saucepan over medium-low heat, saute shallots and garlic in olive oil until softened and fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season with a hefty pinch of salt and pepper. Add flour, coating shallot and garlic to start a roux. Slowly pour in Almond Breeze, whisking constantly until smooth, and bring mixture to a simmer. Let cook for an additional 5 to 8 minutes, or until thickened. Add lemon juice and nutritional yeast, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Transfer to a blender and puree until smooth. Blending will help the sauce thicken.
• While sauce is cooking, pulse pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula, until mixture is smooth. Season to taste, and set aside.
• To finish, combine sauce, 1/2 cup of the kale almond pesto and pasta, and stir until well mixed. Serve on plates or in deep bowls, and garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and basil.

PASTA WITH ALMOND-PEA PESTO

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions, adding 1 package of peas during last minute of cooking time. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and peas, and return to pot.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor, finely grind almonds. Add lemon zest and juice, remaining package of peas, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; process until well combined. With motor running, gradually add oil; process until smooth.
• Add almond-pea pesto to pasta; toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water (as needed) to adjust consistency of sauce. Season with salt and pepper; serve.

PASTA WITH TOMATO AND ALMOND PESTO (PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE)

Steps:

• A half teaspoon of red wine vinegar and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes can be substituted for the pepperoncini. If you don't have a food processor, a blender may be substituted. In step 2, pulse ingredients until roughly chopped, then proceed with the recipe, reducing processing times by half.
• 1. Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until pale golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Cool almonds to room temperature.
• 2. Process cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, pepperoncini, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes (if using) in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 30 seconds.
• 3. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
• 4. Add pesto and ½ cup Parmesan to cooked pasta, adjusting consistency with reser.

PASTA WITH CILANTRO-ALMOND PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and fragrant, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely. Coarsely chop 1/3 cup; reserve.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, drop garlic in feed tube of a running food processor. Add 2/3 cup almonds; process until coarsely chopped. Add cilantro and oil; process to a paste. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add pesto to drained pasta along with 1/4 cup pasta water to loosen pesto slightly. Toss to combine, creating a silky sauce. Serve with carrots, feta, reserved almonds, and cilantro sprigs.

ALMOND PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta in plenty of boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving pasta water if to be used instead of cream.
• Pour boiling water over peas to thaw and drain, place thawed peas with almonds and garlic in food processor and blend coarsely. Scrape down bowl sides, add oil, herbs and salt & blend gain to a medium thick paste. Season well with pepper.
• Spoon into saucepan with pasta & toss over medium heat, adding pasta water or cream, until heated through.
• Serve with topped with parmesan cheese.

PASTA WITH TOMATO & ALMOND PESTO (PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE)

Steps:

• Toast almonds in small skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden. Cool. Blend almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, 1 ts salt & red pepper until smooth. With machine running, very slowly drip in olive oil. Cook pasta and reserve some cooking water. Toss pesto, Parmesan and hot cooked pasta, adding cooking water to adjust consistency.

PASTA CON IL PESTO ALLA TRAPANESE (TOMATO AND ALMOND PESTO)

Steps:

• Cover the almonds with boiling water for a few minutes to loosen their skins, then slip them off with your fingers when they are cool enough to handle. Try not to cut corners and use ready blanched almonds, as nuts quickly lose their flavour without their protective skins. Toast the almonds in a non-stick frying pan, stirring frequently for a few minutes until they are pale gold.
• Whizz the basil, garlic and a little coarse sea salt in a food processor and tip into a large bowl. Process the almonds, again with a little salt, using the pulse button, until they're the size of small grains of rice.
• Peel the tomatoes, de-seed by halving and squeezing over the sink, then chop into medium dice. Mix the tomatoes and the almonds into the basil and garlic, add the grated cheese and olive oil and mix well. Taste and season with pepper and - only if needed - a little salt.
• Boil the pasta in the usual way, taking care to keep it very al dente, especially if you are planning to serve it cold. The Sicilians are probably the most fussy of all Italians about pasta, and they are very quick to declare it scotta, which means overcooked. To judge when to drain the pasta, cut a piece of pasta open: when it has a tiny uncooked white speck at the centre, drain it. It will be perfectly cooked all the way through by the time you serve it.
• Drain the pasta but reserve a couple of ladles of the pasta water. Tip the pasta into the bowl with the pesto and mix it gently but quickly, so that the melting cheese is well distributed. Add a little pasta water if necessary so the sauce lightly coats each pasta corkscrew. The pasta can be served now, lukewarm, or at room temperature, but don't chill, as this dulls the heady aromas which are the joy of this dish.

SPICY KALE-ALMOND PESTO AND WHITE-BEAN PASTA

Steps:

• 1)Cut lower stems off kale. Steam kale over 2 quarts boiling water 5-7min., until tender. Transfer to colander to drain. Do not discard water. Add pasta to water on stove and return to boil, stirring. When pasta is al dente, drain. 2)Meanwhile, place almonds in food processor and process until well chopped. Add garlic, cheese, 1/2 tsp salt, and juice of one lemon. Carefully squeeze water from steamed kale and remove leaves from stems; discard stems. Pat leaves dry with paper towels and chop roughly. Pat dry again and add to food processor. Process until all ingredients are finely minced. With motor running, add 2 tbsp olive oil in a stream until thick pesto is formed 3)In a medium bowl, toss beans with juice of one lemon and 1/8 tsp salt. 4)In a large skillet, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Add crushed red pepper flakes and fry for about 1min. Add kale-almond pesto and cook,stirring, for about 30 seconds. If pesto seems too thick, thin with small amount of water. Add pasta and beans and toss gently until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with black pepper and serve immediately.

ALMOND PESTO PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to box directions Finely chop cilantro and parsley Toast almonds Chop almonds,peppers, scalions, garlic, cilantro and parsley with a little oil in food processor. Mix well with olive oil and grated cheese. Add salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Add lemon juice and a little sugar Shave Parm cheese over dish and serve

ZUCCHINI PASTA WITH ALMOND PESTO

Steps:

• In a food processor process the almonds until finely ground. Add the garlic, parsley and Parmesan; pulse 4-6 times. Add in the 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste) and pulse again a few times. Set aside.Spiralize the zucchini or use a grater with the zucchini lengthwise to get longer strands. Preheat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook the zucchini for 4 minutes using tongs to stir and rotate until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Toss the warm zucchini with the pesto, sprinkle with the crushed red child pepper flakes (optional) and divide into pasta bowls. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. Note: to roast raw almonds, heat oven to 350°F, toss nuts on a sheet pan and roast for 10 minutes. Cool before using.