Pappardelle with Pesto
Pappardelle is a wide noodle that creates a very rustic looking pasta dish. The sheer volume of pasta in each fork full makes pappardelle one of my favorite pastas to eat.
Pesto is a perfect match for flat pasta since it will stick to anything, while a nice thin cream sauce would run right off. Pesto also keeps well in the freezer. I have some ice cube trays that I use to freeze small portions of pesto and then I transfer the cubes to a ziplock bag for long-term storage. The large halves of plum tomatoes pair well with this rustic dish and when they are oven-roasted, the flavors become concentrated and very intense.
My post “Pasta 101” from October 2, 2022 covers the basics of making and shaping pasta dough and it has my recipe for Egg Pasta Dough.
The video below goes over the basics of making pasta dough.
Another pasta dish that I like to make with the Pappardelle shape, is Pappardelle alla Norcina, with it’s hearty pork, mushroom and truffle cream sauce.
Pappardelle with Pesto
Course: PastaCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Medium4
servings45
minutes1
hourIngredients
8 plum tomatoes
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 batch Pesto (recipe below)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons pine nuts for garnish
- Pesto
2 large bunches fresh basil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375-degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush the paper with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil.
- Cut the plum tomatoes in half lengthwise and place them cut side up on the baking sheet. Drizzle the tomatoes with the remainder of the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle the tomatoes with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
- Roll out the pasta to setting 5 in a pasta machine, and cut the sheet into 10-inch sections. Dust the sections with semolina and roll them up. Using a knife, cut the roll of pasta into strips 1 inch wide. Unroll the strips and dry in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with semolina.
- Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil with 1 Tablespoon salt.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the 1/4 cup olive oil. Add the minced
shallot and stir for 1 minute, cooking the shallot. - Drop the pappardelle in the boiling water and cook for 9 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce the heat of the sauté pan to low, add the Pesto and stir.
- Strain the pasta, allowing all of the water to drain off it, and add it to the pan with the sauce. Mix the pasta in with the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately topped with the freshly grated Parmesan, the oven-roasted tomatoes and a sprinkle of pine nuts.
- Pesto
- Place all the Pesto ingredients in a food processor and blend until almost smooth. Season the Pesto with salt and pepper.
