Linguine with mint pesto and ricotta cream
This fresh and tasty contemporary Italian mint pesto recipe is easy to make and perfect for summer meals. Serve it with pasta, on bruschetta or as a dip. Also delicious with fish!
Servings: 4
Calories: 509kcal
Ingredients
- 400 g linguine (14oz) or spaghetti (I used linguine from La Molisana)
- 1 handful fresh mint leaves
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano (2oz) grated. Vegetarians should use a vegetarian parmesan.
- 1 handful pine nuts
- extra virgin olive oil as required
- salt for pasta and to taste
For ricotta cream
- 200 g fresh ricotta
Instructions
- Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil.
- Wash the basil and mint leaves and pat dry with kitchen paper or a cloth.
- Put the washed mint and basil, the pine nuts, the grated cheese and a pinch of salt into a blender or food processor. Add a little olive oil and pulse. Continue to add oil and pulse until you get a homogeneous sauce.
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. When the pasta is half cooked put the ricotta in a bowl and cream it using a fork with a little of the pasta cooking water.
- When the pasta is cooked. Save a bit more of the cooking water and drain the pasta. Mix the pasta and pesto together in a bowl with some of the saved pasta cooking water.
- Put some creamed ricotta on the bottom of each person’s bowl (better bowls than flat plates) and place some pasta with mint pesto on top.
- Serve immediately decorated with a little mint and sprinkled with more grated cheese if required.
Notes
You can use spaghetti instead of linguine for this recipe, as well as other pasta types that go well with pesto such as trofie
Nutrition
Calories: 509kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 249mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 389IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 276mg | Iron: 2mg