Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1/2 pound gluten-free penne pasta
- 1 large clove garlic, peeled
- 2 cups loosely packed arugula
- 1 cup loosely packed basil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large ripe avocado
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Reserved pasta cooking water
- Optional: 2 tablespoons grated (real) Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese (leave this out to make this dish vegan)
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to package instructions, cooking it one minute less than recommended for an al dente texture.
- Method 1 for a chunky texture: While the pasta is cooking, pulse the garlic in the food processor until finely chopped. Pulsing the garlic alone before the rest of the ingredients are added ensures that large chunks of raw garlic don’t end up in your pesto. Add the arugula, basil, pine nuts, cheese if using salt and pepper to the food processor and processes until finely chopped. Transfer the chopped greens mixture to a large bowl. Add the avocado, lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water (or just purified water) to the food processor and blend until smooth. Add the avocado mixture to the bowl with the chopped greens. Toss with the cooked pasta to coat, adding extra pasta cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed to thin out the sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped basil.
- Method 2 for a smooth texture: Add all of the ingredients except the pasta to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Toss with the cooked pasta to coat, adding extra pasta cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed to thin out the sauce. Garnish with freshly chopped basil.
- Store leftovers in a glass airtight container in the refrigerator up to two days. This dish is also delicious cold.