Pesto Pasta
About this recipe
Pesto pasta is a classic dish that brings together the fresh flavors of basil, garlic, and nuts in a creamy sauce. In this video, Ethan Chlebowski takes a traditional approach to pesto, emphasizing techniques that enhance the flavor and texture of the dish.
Using a mortar and pestle instead of a food processor, he shows how to create a more aromatic and flavorful pesto. Plus, he introduces butter into the mix for added creaminess, making this version stand out from the typical recipes you might find online.
Ingredient notes
- Use 400g of bronze dye cut pasta for better sauce adherence; it has a rough texture that helps the sauce stick better.
Tips from Ethan Chlebowski’s video
- Crush the garlic in a mortar and pestle until minced before adding the pine nuts to create a rough paste, which helps release more flavor.
- Stream in the olive oil slowly while crushing the basil to achieve a smooth sauce texture.
- Incorporate 50g of butter into the pesto mixture for creaminess and to help the sauce adhere to the pasta better.
Good to know
- What type of pasta should I use for this recipe?
- Use bronze dye cut pasta for better sauce adherence due to its rough texture.
- How long does it take to make this pesto pasta?
- The total time for this recipe is 30 minutes.
No life story here — the video and the recipe are the whole point. All credit to Ethan Chlebowski: watch the original on YouTube.
The recipe
Ingredients
Steps
- 1
Set a pot of water to boil.
- 2
Add a large pinch of salt (about 10g per liter) to the boiling water.
- 3
Add 400g of bronze dye cut pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
- 4
In a mortar and pestle, add 1 clove of garlic and crush until minced.
- 5
Add 50g of pine nuts to the garlic and continue to crush until a rough paste forms.
- 6
Add 100g of fresh basil leaves to the mixture and crush until well combined.
- 7
Slowly stream in 50ml of olive oil while continuing to crush the mixture until it becomes a smooth sauce.
- 8
In a separate bowl, combine the pesto with 50g of grated Parmesan cheese and 50g of butter, mixing until well incorporated.
- 9
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it and reserve some pasta water.
- 10
Combine the pasta with the pesto sauce, adding reserved pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
Heads up — we had to guess a little:
- The quantity of salt for the pasta water is inferred based on common cooking practices.
Credit where it’s due: this recipe was transcribed from Ethan Chlebowski’s original video on YouTube. Follow them there — it’s their dish.
Are you Ethan Chlebowski? Claim this page or ask us to take it down. Your call, always.
