Elevate your pasta game with this almond and sage pesto pasta recipe

The earthy, slightly peppery flavour of sage makes a change from a traditional basil and pine nut pesto.

Pasta water is your secret weapon in this recipe. The creamy sauce is achieved by combining starchy pasta water with the richly flavoured pesto. Adding a good couple of handfuls of baby spinach gives you an all-in-one meal.

Ingredients

• 500g tortiglioni
• Water, if needed
• 2 cups baby leaf spinach
• Extra sage to serve
• Grated parmesan to serve

For the almond and sage pesto:

• 2 cups fresh sage leaves
• 1 cup natural almonds
• 1/3 cup oil (extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil work well)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

• Cook the tortiglioni according to pack directions. Meanwhile, make the pesto.
• In a non-stick frying pan over medium heat, toast the almonds for 3-4 minutes.
• Add almonds and all remaining ingredients to a blender and pulse until chunky, adding oil as needed and salt and pepper to taste.
• Once the pasta is done, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain. In a large pot or frying pan over medium heat, mix pasta with pesto and reserved pasta water. Toss the baby spinach leaves through the pasta. Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan and extra sage leaves.

Tip: Swap out the tortiglioni for penne or rigatoni if you want to. A short pasta with ridges is best as it will catch and hold the sauce.

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.