Fettuccine with Pecan Pesto

Fresh basil, garlic and Parmesan pack plenty of flavor in this quick dish, perfect for weeknight suppers. Besides boiling water for pasta, the only cooking involved is pan toasting the pecans.

Course Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Servings 2 to 4, depending on amount of pasta cooked

Ingredients

1/2 cup pecans (or other nuts—see Kitchen Notes)
1 or 2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (see Kitchen Notes)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good quality olive oil (see Kitchen Notes)
2 tablespoons hot water (use pasta cooking water)
12 to 16 ounces Fettuccine, uncooked (see Kitchen Notes)

Instructions

Toast pecans in a nonstick skillet over a medium-low flame, stirring occasionally, until golden and fragrant—about 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow bowl or plate in a single layer to cool completely. (For even less cooking, you can forgo this step, but roasting the pecans does enhance their flavor.)
Combine basil, pecans, garlic and Parmesan in bowl of food processor. Season generously with salt and pepper. Pulse several times to coarsely chop and combine everything. Add olive oil and 2 tablespoons hot water (you can steal some from the boiling pasta water) and blend to proper consistency. Don't overprocess—you want a little texture to the pesto. You may need to scrape down the sides with a spatula and pulse mixture to get an even consistency.
Meanwhile, cook fettuccine according to package instructions to al dente. Drain pasta. Transfer about 2/3 of cooked pasta to a large bowl and add pesto. Toss gently to coat pasta evenly with sauce, adding extra pasta as you go. If the pesto coating starts looking less than generous, toss out the rest of the pasta. Pasta is cheap. You don't want to overwhelm the pesto. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, divide among plates and serve.

Kitchen Notes

Mixed nuts? Traditionally, pine nuts or walnuts are used in pesto. Both are great, but we really like the slightly more refined taste of pecans. So when I came across a pesto recipe some time ago that suggested using pecans, I was there. That said, pine nuts or walnuts will be delicious too.

Use good olive oil. As one of a handful of ingredients, it needs to bring good flavor to the table. Happily, while you can spend a lot on olive oil, you don't necessarily need to. Our everyday go-to is Costco's Kirkland 100% Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil. New York magazine's Strategist ranks it the best to buy in bulk. And Samin Nosrat, a New York Times columnist and star of Netflix's Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, sings its praises. It comes in 2-liter bottles, so you need to use a fair amount of olive oil or it can go bad. We do.

Don't skimp on the Parmesan. If you want to splurge a little, here's where to do it. Buy a decent Parmesan, preferably Italian and definitely not pre-grated. Trust me, you'll taste the difference.

Pick your pasta. Flat pastas like fettuccine and linguine are traditionally used for pesto. Their broad, flat surfaces are perfect for collecting up the little bits of pesto. And cooked al dente, flat pastas are sturdier for tossing. We also like rotini for this—all its nooks and crannies are great for picking up pesto for each bite.