Sage Pecan Pesto
Sage puts a fresh, summery spin on classic basil pesto. This quick, no-cook sauce is perfect for pasta, chicken, chops, steaks, roasted vegetables and more.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
- 1 cup fresh sage leaves, packed
- 1 cup flat parsley leaves, packed
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 cup freshly grated good quality Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- zest of 1/2 lemon and 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 cup good quality olive oil
- hot water (if making pasta, use reserved pasta water)
- linguine or other ribbon pasta (see Kitchen Notes)
Instructions
- Toast the pecan halves in a dry medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, just until they are fragrant, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cool completely. If you’re making pasta, start a pot of water for it now.
- Combine pecans, sage, parsley, garlic, Parmesan, salt, and lemon zest and juice in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times to coarsely chop and combine everything. Add olive oil 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. Add a little bit of hot water as needed to thin it.
- Drain pasta and return to pot. Toss with pesto and serve.
Kitchen Notes
How much pasta? How much pesto? For our dinner the other night, I cooked 8 ounces of pasta and tossed it with half the pesto, drizzling in a little reserved pasta water because it seemed a little dry. The entire recipe of pesto will nicely coat 1 pound of pasta.