This recipe for Italian pistachio pasta is wonderfully delicious, and easy to make at home. Ready in just 30 minutes, this quick pasta dinner features a super flavorful pistachio pesto sauce and is topped with creamy burrata.
If you're an Italian food fanatic like I am, you've probably already had (or even made) an authentic pesto genovese, or even an arugula pesto.
But have you had pistachio pesto? Even though it's a more obscure pesto, that doesn't mean that it's any less flavorful than the more well-known recipes.
Using pistachios, you'll have an amazing nutty pesto that creates a unique and appetizing flavor for your pasta. It's so delicious, you might find yourself buying pistachio in the bulk section so you can make more!
Once you've made this Italian pasta recipe, I bet you won't be able to stop at just one (there's no such thing as too much pasta in my book!) Definitely try out some more Italian classic pasta recipes!
Which pasta shape to use
For this pasta recipe with pistachios, any pasta shape will work, which is great if you need to use anything that is already in your pantry. In this version, I used rigatoni, but you could really use anything, short or long, it's up to you! For example, you could use penne, or rotini for short pastas, or you could you fettucine, linguine or spaghetti for long.
How to make it - step by step
Add the pasta to a cold pan or bowl, and add in the pistachio pesto.
Add some pasta water and mix until pesto melts into the pasta and is creamy. Then, add more pasta water if needed.
Plate, and top with burrata is using, as well as crushed pistachios and grated parmigiano or pecorino. Enjoy your pistachio pasta!
Storage
It's best to eat this dish right after making it, but if you have leftovers, you can store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to three days. To reheat, place leftovers in a small pan, add some olive oil and heat on stove until pasta is warm. You can also reheat in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish to your desired warmth.
Top tips
- You do not need to warm up the pesto. Generally pesto should not be heated. The heat from the pasta and pasta water is enough to heat up the dish.
Recipe
30-Minute Italian Pistachio Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 batch pistachio pesto
- 200 grams rigatoni or any other short pasta or long pasta
- ½ cup burrata optional
- crushed pistachios optional
- grated parmigiano or pecorino cheese optional
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, salt the pasta water, and add in the pasta. Cook until al dente.
- Add the pasta to a cold pan or bowl, and add in the pistachio pesto.
- Add some pasta water and mix until pesto melts into the pasta and is creamy. Add more pasta water if needed.
- Plate, and top with burrata if using, as well as crushed pistachios and grated parmigiano or pecorino. Enjoy your pistachio pasta!
Recipe Notes
- You do not need to warm up the pesto. Generally pesto should not be heated. The heat from the pasta and pasta water is enough to heat up the dish.
- You can use any cut of pasta you'd like for this recipe, a short cut like the rigatoni used in this recipe, penne or fusilli would work well too. You can also use long pasta like spaghetti, linguine etc
Mada says
Can’t wait to try this
B says
Delicious! My husband loved it! Super easy to make.