Italian Recipe ♯ Pasta with Arugula Pesto

The unique flavour of arugula makes this pesto peppery and robust.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups coarsely chopped arugula, stems included
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
• ½ cup olive oil
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 (16 ounce) package dry pasta

Cooking Directions

1. Combine the walnuts, garlic, arugula, and cilantro or basil in a food processor or blender. Whirl them just until they are coarsely chopped. While the machine is running, add the olive oil in a thin stream. Transfer the pesto to a bowl. (At this point the pesto can be frozen. Thaw it before proceeding.)
2. Stir the Parmesan cheese, salt, and cayenne into the pesto
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook it, stirring occasionally, until it is just tender. Drain the pasta, return it to the empty pot, and toss it with the pesto, adding a tablespoon or two of water if necessary to distribute the pesto evenly.
4. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl or to individual plates, garnish with additional Parmesan cheese and serve.

Nutrition Facts

• calories376.8
• carbohydrateContent40.5 g
• cholesterolContent70.9 mg
• fatContent19.6 g
• fiberContent1.9 g
• proteinContent10.5 g
• saturatedFatContent3.7 g
• sodiumContent80.2 mg
• sugarContent2.8 g