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trofie pasta with rocket pest (arugula)
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5 from 7 votes

Trofie with rocket (arugula) pesto

This easy pesto recipe can be used to make rocket (arugula) pesto or traditional basil pesto. Both are delicious served with trofie, the pasta typically used with pesto Genovese in Liguria.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Italian, Liguria, Mediterranean, Northern Italy
Keyword: arugula pesto, pesto, rocket pesto, trofie
Servings: 4
Calories: 631kcal
Author: Jacqui

Ingredients

  • 4-6 handfuls washed rocket or basil leaves (60-70g) you can also substitute half the leaves with spinach
  • 50 g grana or parmigiano cheese (2oz) grated (vegetarians will need to use a vegetarian parmesan)
  • 1-2 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
  • 5-6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil you may need more
  • 30 g toasted pine nuts (1oz) you can also use walnuts or almonds
  • salt for pasta and to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper. to taste
  • 400 g trofie pasta (14oz) trenette, fusilli, short maccheroni, gnocchi and spaghetti also go well

Instructions

  • Place the washed rocket or basil leaves into a food processor with the garlic and a little olive oil and pulse a few times.
  • Add the toasted pine nuts and grated cheese, season with pepper and salt as required and pulse one or twice again.
  • Remove from the food processor and more olive oil if necessary to get the consistency you require.
  • Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once the water starts to boil (boiling the water whilst making the sauce will save time later).
  • When the water starts to boil again, add the pasta and cook al dente according to the instructions on the packet. (fresh pasta takes less time to cook than dried pasta)
  • Save a cup of pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and return to the pan. Add the pesto. Mix the pasta and pesto together. Add pasta cooking water if the sauce seems dry.
  • Alternatively, put the pesto in a deep frying pan, add some pasta cooking water to make it more liquid and then add the drained pasta. Mix the pasta and sauce together well and serve with extra grated cheese if desired.

Notes

You can mix ricotta into the pesto for a ravioli or cannelloni filling if you add enough ricotta.
I also sometimes add a handful of chopped cherry tomatoes. Just cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the blender with the nuts. Rocket pesto (or basil) can also be eaten as a dip, on toasted bread, as part of a pizza topping or dolloped on baked potatoes. All delicious ways to serve pesto.
You can keep the pesto in the fridge for up to a week if you keep it in a glass container with a lid and cover the surface with a thin layer of olive oil. (to prevent air getting to the leaves) You can also freeze it. 
To toast pine nuts, just dry fry them in a small frying pan for a couple of minutes. They brown quickly so keep an eye they don't burn.

Nutrition

Calories: 631kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 212mg | Potassium: 356mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 574IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 204mg | Iron: 2mg