Pesto Pasta with Arugula (Rocket)
An easy and tasty bowl of pasta tossed with fresh pesto, arugula / rocket leaves, juicy cherry tomatoes and soft mozzarella. It makes an easy, versatile and filling dinner - proving that simplicity wins when it comes to summer eating! Make my favorite pistachio lime pesto or a more classic basil pesto - the choice is yours!
Ingredients
- 9 oz (250 g) spaghetti, linguine or other long pasta shape
- 1 package (125 g) fresh mozzarella or bocconcini, typically 250g (8oz) net weight, 125g (4oz) drained weight
- 3 cups (60 g) arugula / rocket
- 1.5 cups (200 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
Pesto
- 3 tbsp raw unsalted pistachios or pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- ⅓ cup (50 g) parmesan, pecorino or Italian hard cheese, see notes
- 2-3 bunches cilantro, basil or some of each, see notes
- 1 lime or lemon, juiced
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) olive oil
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Start the water boiling for the pasta and prepare the pesto while you wait. In the small bowl of a food processor or a mini food chopper, pulse the nuts, cheese, garlic and herbs a few times and then drizzle in the olive oil slowly while blending, until it's mostly smooth but a little textured.
- Start the pasta cooking according to package instructions. In the meantime, chop the tomatoes and mozzarella and grate any cheese you want for the topping.
- Once the pasta is al dente, reserve a little bit of the cooking water and drain. Add to a large mixing bowl with the pesto, and toss to combine. Add a splash of the pasta cooking water if you need to loosen up the pesto or if the pasta feels a little too dry.
- Add in the arugula / rocket and toss through to get them well mixed through the pasta and starting to wilt. Then add the tomatoes and mozzarella and toss through until just combined.
- Serve with additional cheese on top if desired. You can also add some chopped nuts for crunch, and lime or lemon wedges for squeezing if you wish.
Calories: 606kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 22g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 19g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 637mg, Potassium: 504mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 1213IU, Vitamin C: 22mg, Calcium: 322mg, Iron: 2mg