Spring-Inspired Pasta with Mint Pesto and Burrata
Springtime conjures up allll the happy feelings for me and with the amazing weather we’ve been experiencing in San Francisco over the past few weeks, I couldn’t be in more of a Spring mindset!
With the changing of the seasons, I’ve been more inspired than ever to develop new recipes and this pasta is one of my ultimate favorites to-date. It’s bright & herby from the mint pesto, fresh & sweet from the asparagus and peas and creamy & rich from dollops of fresh burrata cheese scattered on top. Sign. Me. Up.
Something I love about this recipe, aside from its sheer deliciousness, is that it’s special enough to serve at a dinner party (fingers crossed we get to have those soon!) and easy enough to be a weeknight meal. The best part is that you can prep the pesto a day ahead of time — I have a couple of tips on how to keep it from turning brown below.
I hope you give this one a try and report back! I love seeing your creations at home. Happy Spring! xx
Serves 4.
INGREDIENTS
For the mint pesto:
2 cups packed parsley leaves + tender stems (from about 1 bunch)
1 cup packed mint leaves (from about 1 bunch)
Zest and juice from 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
1/3 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
For the pasta:
12 oz any long pasta (I prefer pappardelle, tagliatelle or fettucine)
1.5 cups asparagus sliced on a diagonal (from a little less than 1 bunch)
1.5 cups frozen peas
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
8 oz burrata cheese
Fresh mint leaves (to finish)
High quality olive oil (to finish)
Maldon salt (to finish)
METHOD
Make the mint pesto:
In a food processor, blend together the parsley, mint, lemon juice + zest, grated garlic and pine nuts until the herbs are minced finely and the mixture is homogenous. You may need to scrape down the sides halfway through with a spatula.
With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it has all been added. Remove the lid, scrape down the sides and blend once more until homogenous.
Transfer to a bowl and stir in the grated parmesan cheese. Season with kosher salt, to taste. Set aside while you make the pasta. See notes section for how to store if not using right away.
Make the pasta:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with kosher salt and drop in your pasta.
When the pasta is 1 minute under al dente, drop in the asparagus to cook for 1 minute. After 30 seconds (halfway through the asparagus cook time), drop in the frozen peas to quickly defrost for 30 seconds.
Transfer the al dente pasta along with the asparagus + peas to a large bowl (I prefer stainless steel) and reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water off to the side.
Add the mint pesto and butter to the bowl of pasta + vegetables along with 2/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. Use tongs to vigorously stir the pasta, coating it in the pesto, butter and pasta water mixture for about 20-30 seconds. You’re looking for a nice, glossy sauce and the more you stir, the thicker and glossier it will get. If the sauce becomes too dry, stir in the remaining 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water. Add kosher salt, to taste. (See notes for explanation behind this step).
Serve the pasta on a large plate topped with broken up pieces of the burrata cheese scattered on top along with fresh mint leaves, a drizzle of high quality olive oil and maldon salt. Enjoy!
NOTES
How to store your mint pesto:
If not using right away (you can make the pesto up to a day ahead), add olive oil just to cover the surface of the pesto and cover with plastic wrap, making direct contact between the plastic wrap and olive oil layer. Both of these things will help prevent air from touching the pesto which prevents oxidization. In other words, this will ensure the pesto doesn’t turn brown on you! Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Why I finish my pasta dishes with pasta water + butter:
Whenever I’m making pasta, I always incorporate pasta water and a little butter to the sauce. It helps create a flavorful, creamy, emulsified end product (the butter + the starches and salt in the pasta water are a match made in heaven). The key is to vigorously stir the pasta mixture for 20-30 seconds to help create that glossy emulsified sauce. The starches on the pasta will rub together as you stir and will help the sauce thicken up even more. You can always add more pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce a bit.
If you’re interested in why I stir the pesto + butter + pasta water off heat:
That said, for most pasta dishes (with a tomato-based, cream-based, or buttery sauce), I under-cook the pasta by about 2 minutes and finish cooking it in the sauce over the heat. BUT with a fresh herby sauce like a pesto, it’s important to cook your pasta to al dente and do your stirring with butter + sauce + pasta water OFF the heat in a separate bowl. This preserves the vibrant green color of the pesto and vegetables — cooking over heat will cause the pesto and veggies to turn brown.