Parsley Pesto Pasta
This one genuinely surprised us the first time we made it. We'd always defaulted to basil pesto but parsley brings this brightness and a slightly peppery edge that just feels fresher somehow. Blitz it all together, toss it through your pasta, and you've got something that tastes like you've been cooking for hours. It's the kind of recipe we keep coming back to on weeknights when we want something proper but don't want the faff. Make this tonight, you won't regret it.
Before You Start
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 200g pasta
- nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp white miso
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon juice of
- 50g toasted pine nuts
- 25g parsley
Method
Cook your pasta of choice
- Following the packets instructions
- Whilst the pasta is bubbling away, we'll make the pesto
Make the pesto
- Pop all your pesto ingredients into your food processor and whizz until your pesto is smooth
Finish and serve
- Once your pasta is cooked, drain then add back to the saucepan
- Mix in your pesto to the pasta until the pasta is well covered
- Serve your pesto pasta and top with some extra toasted pine nuts, parsley leaves and some nutritional yeast
Tips & Variations
- Toast your nuts first: We find this works really well if you toast the nuts before blitzing. Even just 2-3 minutes in a dry pan brings out a deeper, nuttier flavour that takes the pesto up a level.
- Save your pasta water: Trust us on this one. Keep a mug of the starchy pasta cooking water before you drain it. Stir a splash into the pesto as you mix it through and it helps everything come together in this silky, glossy way.
- Swap the greens: Henry always adds a small handful of spinach into the food processor alongside the parsley. It bulks it out, keeps the colour vibrant, and sneaks in a bit more goodness without changing the flavour much at all.
Why This Works
The trick here is using really fresh flat-leaf parsley and not over-blending it. You want it smooth but still with a bit of life to it, not a grey sludge. Tossing the pesto through the pasta while it's still warm helps it coat every strand properly, which makes a massive difference to the final result.