Fusilli with Arugula Pesto and Sun Dried Tomatoes
Arugula has uses beyond salad! Homemade arugula pesto is a versatile sauce that can be used for a variety of dishes! Toss it with pasta for a quick and easy meal.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Arugula Pesto:
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 4 cups arugula, packed
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- juice from 1 lemon
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- kosher salt, to taste
Remaining components:
- 16 oz dry fusilli pasta
- 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water
- 6 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- handful of sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- shaved pecorino romano cheese, to garnish
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water. Salt to taste. Bring to a boil.
- In a food processor, mince garlic. Add toasted pine nuts and 1 cup of arugula. Pulse machine until arugula has broken down. Continue to add arugula in batches until finely minced. Add grated parmesan cheese.
- With the food processor running, add the olive oil in a steady, slow stream. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure even mixture. Add lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to process until mixture is smooth
- Cook fusilli in the boiling salted water according to package directions. Before draining pasta, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- In a large saute pan, toss the cooked pasta with arugula pesto. Add grated parmesan cheese. Add enough of the reserved pasta water to thin out pesto into a nice cream sauce. Toss until combined. Season with black pepper, to taste. Divide pasta into servings. Top with chopped sun-dried tomatoes and shaved pecorino romano cheese.
Notes
- Walnuts may be used in place of pine nuts.