Arugula pesto: perfect Italian sauce on top of pasta

Arugula Pesto is a fantastic Italian sauce. It is vegetarian, tasty and fresh.

You will love it not only on pasta or gnocchi, but also on meat and roasted fish or as a side for eggs and bruschettas.

And if you do not like garlic, you can have the sauce without it.

@For the most curious: arugula pesto is just a different type of pesto, originally created in Genoa. Arugula pesto just substitutes basil with arugula!

NEW! RECIPE FORMAT

INGREDIENTS

• 100 grams – 1 cup of arugula leaves
• 100 grams of  walnuts without shell – ½ cup
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 or 2 cloves of garlic, depending on your taste (also don’t put garlic at all)
• 100 grams of grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the arugula leaves and dry out
2. Chop the garlic
   
3. Put the arugula, walnuts and garlic in a blender
   
4. Whisk and add the oil slowly
5. Blend well until you obtain an homogeneous cream
   
6. At this point you have prepared the base for the arugula pesto
   
7. To complete the pesto, add 100 grams of Parmesan and mix well
   
8. Meanwhile cook the pasta. While the pasta is is already cooking in the hot water, add one or two scoops of cooking water to the pesto. This is the trick for a perfect pitch!
   
9. Now you may drain and serve the pasta just adding a little bit of extra virgin oil
   
10. Enjoy your Arugula pesto (on pasta this time) and Buon appetito from Easy Italian Cuisine!

You can keep the base of the arugula pesto in the fridge for up to 24 hours or freeze it.

If you freeze it, I suggest you put it in a container for ice cubes: every cube is enough for a serving.

Hint!: The base of the sauce should be frozen before adding the grated Parmesan, otherwise can get bitter and/or sour. The Parmesan must always be added to the pesto just before eating it, to keep your sauce taste fresh and fragrant.