Pepita Basil Pesto Spaghetti with Blistered Tomatoes
Spaghetti tossed with a bright basil pesto made from toasted pepitas and Parmesan, topped with jammy blistered cherry tomatoes. Ready in 30 minutes.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
Pesto turns dull and bitter if it gets hot, so always toss it with the pasta off the heat. The starchy pasta water loosens it into a creamy sauce. Pepitas give it a nutty, slightly earthy depth that pine nuts can’t quite match, and they cost much less.
Method
-
Toast the pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat for , stirring often, until they puff and begin to pop. Tip into a bowl and set aside 2 tablespoons for garnish.
-
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
-
In a food processor, pulse the remaining pepitas, the basil, Parmesan, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt and several grinds of black pepper until coarse. With the machine running, stream in 1/3 cup of the olive oil until the pesto is thick and spoonable.
-
Heat the remaining olive oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, red pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for , until the skins blister and split and the tomatoes slump and turn jammy.
-
Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
-
Return the spaghetti to the pot off the heat. Add the pesto and 1/3 cup pasta water and toss until the sauce coats every strand, adding more water a splash at a time if it looks tight.
-
Divide among bowls, spoon the blistered tomatoes and their juices on top, and finish with the reserved pepitas and more Parmesan.
Tap a number to check off a step. Tap a green time to start a timer.
