Gluten Free Pasta with Pistachio Pesto Recipe

Ever had a gigantic craving for something then you go into the kitchen to whip it up only to find you lack the ingredients? Well, fortunately that very thing happened to me the other day.

I wanted gluten-free pasta with pesto. No, I didn’t want it – I had to have it! No choice in the matter whatsoever – my craving for pesto was bigger and more powerful than me; in fact my craving had taken on a life of its own.

Normally, pesto is one of those things I can whip up at a moments notice – the ingredients are usually just there, languishing in my kitchen, waiting for me. But not this day. I had used all my pine nuts making pignoli cookies and my little windowsill basil plant only had about 8 leaves on it. So off to the store I went.

I grabbed the only pine nuts I could find, a minuscule, Thumbalina –sized jar that cost $7.00! Seriously? $7.00 for maybe a couple tablespoons of pine nuts? Has someone been out there buying up all the pine nuts causing the price to soar? I don’t know, but I glanced at the next shelf and saw that I could get a decent sized bag of shelled pistachios for the same amount of money, so into my cart went the pistachios and off to the produce department for basil.

The only basil I could find was wilted and sad looking and again, much more expensive than a few leaves of something should be. OK, it is the dead of winter and not exactly basil growing weather so instead I grabbed a bag of baby spinach leaves and decided my 8 leaves of basil on the windowsill would have to suffice.

All of this craving/lack of ingredients/shopping dilemma lead me to discover a whole new pesto recipe, one that I love even more than traditional pesto. Not only was this pesto less expensive than my original recipe but it is also healthier – pistachios are much lower in saturated fat than pine nuts and as Popeye will tell you, spinach is good for you. But health and budget aside, this pesto is utterly delicious! In fact, this is my favorite pesto recipe ever! It is lighter, more complex and the color is fantastic.

Have you ever had a craving/lack of ingredients situation that lead to a new way to make a favorite recipe? Do share!

Click here to see my cooking demonstration of this recipe on Daytime TV!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Pasta with Pistachio Pesto Recipe

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 738kcal

Author: Gluten Free & More

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound gluten free dried pasta
• ▢ 1 cup unsalted shelled pistachios
• ▢ 2 cups spinach leaves
• ▢ ½ cup basil leaves
• ▢ ½ cup Parmesan cheese - grated
• ▢ Zest (finely grated) and juice of 1 lemon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ¼-1/3 cup olive oil
• ▢ Kosher salt to taste
• ▢ Optional garnishes:
• ▢ Finely grated lemon zest
• ▢ Grated or shaved Parmesan cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• ▢
  Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and salt liberally. Add the dried pasta and cook according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, make the pesto.
• ▢
  Put the pistachios in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until the nuts are coarsely ground. Add the spinach, basil, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice, pepper and ¼ cup olive oil. Process until smooth. If the pesto is too thick, add a little more olive oil. Taste and add a pinch of salt if desired.
• ▢
  Drain the pasta and return to the hot pot. Add the pesto and toss to coat the pasta.
• ▢
  Serve immediately with optional garnishes.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Gluten Free Pasta with Pistachio Pesto Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 738 Calories from Fat 297

% Daily Value*

Fat 33g51%

Saturated Fat 6g30%

Cholesterol 8mg3%

Sodium 276mg12%

Potassium 413mg12%

Carbohydrates 92g31%

Fiber 5g20%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 1740IU35%

Vitamin C 5.7mg7%

Calcium 201mg20%

Iron 3.3mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owner’s. This blog accepts free manufacturers’ samples and forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation. Affiliate links may be included in this post.

Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.