Pappardelle in Creamy Pesto Sauce

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There are two components to the sauce in this dish: the pesto and creamy fondue. The pesto carries hints of asparagus, pistachio and olive, that when combined with the fondue creates a creamy sauce with a rich, silky taste and texture.

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Pappardelle in Creamy Pesto Sauce

  • Author: priya’s mashups
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 35
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian
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Description

A creamy decadent pesto sauce that fulfills your need for veggies, nuts and cheese, all in one sitting. 

Scale

Ingredients

10 asparagus stalks, the wooden ends cut off

2 packed cups of basil

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp. pine nuts

2 tbsp. shelled pistachio

1 tbsp. garlic, roughly chopped

1 tbsp. salt (for pasta water) + 1/4 tsp. (for pesto)

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup kashkaval or gruyere cheese, grated

8 oz. dried pappardelle

Water for boiling pasta 

Instructions

Making the Pesto:

  1. Blanch the asparagas in boiling water for 3-4 mins.  When you remove them from the water, they should be a bright green color.  Chop them into 1 cm. cylinders and set aside. It should be roughly two cups.
  2. While the asparagrus is blanching, heat 1 tsp. oil in a pan for 2 mins.  Roast the garlic pieces, approximately 1 min.  Set aside.
  3. Assemble the following ingredients in a food processor or blender: 2 packed cups basil, 2 cups chopped asparagus, 1 tbsp. roasted garlic, 2 tbsp. pine nuts, 2 tbsp. pistachio, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper.  
  4. Blend, streaming in the olive oil as you do so.  If you are using a blender and can’t stream in the olive oil, then start by adding 1/8 cup olive oil.  Every 30-45 secs., stop the blender, pour in another 1/8 cup oil and continue blending until all the olive oil is used up.
  5. Blend to a smooth consistency–it should be between a puree and a paste.
  6. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

Making Creamy Fondue:

  1.  Heat 1 cup heavy cream on med or med.-low heat for 3 mins.
  2. Start adding the cheese–a few tablespoons each time–and whisking at the same time.  You want to ensure there are no cheese lumps at the bottom of the pan.  Keep the heat fairly low.
  3. Continue whisking and adding cheese until you have a fondue-like texture, approximately 4-5 mins.

Pairing Pasta With Pesto and Fondue:

  1. Add 1 tbsp. salt to 4-5 cups water.  Bring to a gentle rolling boil.
  2. Add 8 oz pappardelle to the water and cook as per instructions, approximately 12 mins. for me.
  3. Strain the pasta, reserving 4-5 tbsps. of the pasta water.
  4. 2-3 mins. before the pasta is done, heat the pesto in a pan on low heat.
  5. As soon as the pasta is strained, drop it in the pan with the pesto.  Mix to coat pasta thoroughly with the pesto.  
  6. Slowly, drizzle in fondue.  
  7. Add the reserved pasta water (4-5 tbsp.)  Mix thoroughly and heat for 2 mins on low heat.
  8. TTurn off the stove.  Taste and adjust seasoning (salt or pepper if necessary).
  9. Serve Pappardelle in Creamy Pesto!

Notes

  • If the sauce is heavy for you, use half the amount of cheese or use same amount of cheese but substitute milk for heavy cream.  The pasta is still delicious, though lighter in feel and taste.
  • Any cheese low in moisture is good–gruyere, fontina, gouda, emmenthal.
  • If you are vegan, leave the cheese and milk out.  Instead, increase the amount of pistachio to 4-5 tbsps.  Follow all recipe steps, except addition of cream and cheese.  It’s still yummy. Pistachio has a natural creaminess that is pleasing all on its own.
  • Nutrition Facts for Pesto:
    • Servings: 6, Serving Size: 1 cup
    • Calories: 183
    • Total Fat: 19.5g (25%), Saturated Fat: 2.6g (13%), Cholestrol: 0mg (0%), Sodium: 105mg (5%), Carbohydrates: 3.2g (1%), Dietary Fibre: 1.4g (5%), Total Sugars:  1.1g, Protein: 2g
  • Nutrition Facts for Creamy Pesto Sauce:
    • Servings: 6, Serving Size: 1 cup
    • Calories: 328
    • Total Fat: 33.1 (42%), Saturated Fat: 11.2g (56%), Cholestrol: 47mg (16%), Sodium: 230mg (10%), Carbohydrates: 4g (1%), Dietary Fibre: 1.4g (5%), Total Sugars:  1.2g, Protein: 7.1g
  • Nutrition Facts for Creamy Pesto Sauce With Pappardelle: See below.
  • Category: Lunch
  • Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 595
  • Sugar: 2.5
  • Sodium: 263
  • Fat: 35.8
  • Saturated Fat: 11.9
  • Carbohydrates: 54.7
  • Fiber: 4.1
  • Protein: 17.7
  • Cholesterol: 194

Keywords: pasta, asparagus pasta, pistachio, vegan pasta, vegetarian pasta, italian, pesto, asparagus pesto, pistachio pesto, basil pesto, creamy sauce, cheese sauce, creamy pesto sauce

Eating With Your Eyes:

We start with 10 stalks of asparagus
Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 3-4 mins.
The blanched asparagus should be bright green in color. Chop of the wooden ends
Roughly dice the rest of the asparagus into 1 cm. cyinders. It should be approximately 2 cups
Roughly slice 2 cloves of garlic. It should be approximately 1 tbsp.
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan for 2 mins.
Add chopped garlic and cook for 1 min.
Set roasted garlic aside
Start assembling the other ingredients for pesto…
2 packed cup basil leaves
2 tbsp. shelled pistachio
2 tbsp. pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper
Throw all the ingredients into a food processor/blender–2 cups asparagus, 2 cups basil, 2 tbsp. pine nuts, 2 tbsp. pistachio, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper and 1/2 cup olive oil
Blend, slowly drizzling in the olive oil every few mins.
Still blending….
Blend to a semi-smooth puree/paste
Begin assembling ingredients for the fondue: 1 cup heavy cream
1 cup kashkaval or gruyere cheese
Heat heavy cream on med. heat for 2-3 mins, turn the heat down to low. Slowly add in the cheese with one hand, while whisking with the other
Whisk all the cheese in until you have a smooth fondue-like texture
Two sauces: Pesto and fondue
Get ready to boil the pasta: 8 oz. pappardelle nests
Add 1 tbsp. salt to water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook per instructions
2-3 mins. before pasta is done, heat pesto on low flame in a pan
As soon as pasta is done, drop hot pasta into pesto sauce
Mix thoroughly
Add the fondue. Sprinkle 4-5 tbsp. of pasta water to loosen consistency.
Pappardelle in creamy pesto sauce
Serve delicious pappardelle in creamy pesto sauce

Additional Pestos:

  1. Tomato-Basil Pesto–A comforting dish that combines the familiar flavors of tomatoes, olive oil and basil to create a delicious pesto that is part tomato sauce and part aglio e olio. Click on https://veggiemashups.com/tomato-basil-pesto/
  2. Tomato-Olive Pesto–Similar to the Tomato-Basil Pesto, but less fatty as fresh olives are substituted in place of the olive oil. Still delicious, but more health-conscious. Click on https://veggiemashups.com/tomato-olive-pesto/

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