Recipes › Rocket › Rocket and Walnut Pesto Linguine
Rocket and Walnut Pesto Linguine
A punchy, peppery pesto made from a full bag of rocket blitzed with toasted walnuts, Parmesan and good olive oil, tossed through al dente linguine. This is weeknight cooking at its best — faster than ordering a takeaway and infinitely better. The rocket keeps its bite and vivid green colour because you dress the pasta off the heat.
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Ingredients
- 120 g Rocket, washed and spun dry
- 400 Linguineor spaghetti or tagliatelle
- 60 g Walnuts, lightly toasted in a dry panor blanched almonds
- 60 g Parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- 2 cloves Garlic, peeled
- 80 ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 tsp Fine sea salt
- 1 pinch Black pepper, freshly ground
- 100 ml Pasta cooking water, reserved before draining
Contains: cereals gluten, milk, nuts.
Method
- Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the linguine according to the packet instructions until al dente, usually 9 to 10 minutes.About 10 min
- While the pasta cooks, make the pesto. Put the rocket, toasted walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest and a generous pinch of salt into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.About 2 min
- With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream until you have a thick, spoonable paste. Squeeze in the lemon juice, pulse once or twice, then taste and adjust seasoning. The pesto should taste bold and peppery.About 1 min
- Before draining the pasta, scoop out 100ml of starchy cooking water and set aside. Drain the linguine and return it to the warm pot, off the heat.About 1 min
- Spoon the rocket pesto over the drained linguine and toss vigorously, adding the reserved pasta water a splash at a time until the pesto coats every strand in a glossy sauce. Serve immediately in warmed bowls, with extra Parmesan grated over.About 2 min
Tips
- Toast the walnuts until they just start to smell nutty — 3 to 4 minutes in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Don't walk away; they burn quickly.
- Make the pesto off the heat and toss it through warm pasta rather than hot. Overheating rocket pesto turns it khaki and kills the flavour.
- If your rocket is very young and mild, add an extra garlic clove and a little more lemon juice to give the pesto backbone.
Ring the changes
- For a dairy-free version, swap the Parmesan for 40g of nutritional yeast flakes and an extra pinch of salt.
- Stir through 200g of halved cherry tomatoes at the tossing stage for a summery version that stretches the dish further.
Keeping it
Leftover dressed pasta does not store well and is best eaten immediately. The pesto alone will keep in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 4 days — press cling film directly onto the surface or pour a thin layer of olive oil over the top to stop it oxidising.
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