Hazelnut Spinach Pesto Cavatappi

5 from 1 vote

Hazelnut Spinach Pesto Cavatappi is a fast and easy Italian pasta recipe packed with nutrition. Healthy spinach is blended into a green herb sauce for a weeknight. Vegetarian.

Cook Time30

Total Time30

Cuisine: American, Italian

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Servings: servings

Calories: 627kcal

Equipment

Skillet
Large pot
Measuring Cups
Measuring spoons
Blender or food processor
Large Cooking Spoon

Ingredients

6 cups fresh spinach lightly packed, 4.5 ounces in weight, see note 1
¼ cup hazelnuts (1.5 ounces weight) or walnuts
1 pound cavatappi pasta or desired shape, see note 2
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon lemon juice fresh is best, approximately 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ cup olive oil

Instructions

Heat a skillet over medium heat.
When hot, add the nuts. Stir frequently and toast until the nuts are fragrant, approximately 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet to stop the cooking process and set aside.
¼ cup hazelnuts
Heat a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Salt the water.
Make an ice water bath by filling a large bowl with at least two cups of ice and 4 cups of water.
Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook until just blanched, approximately 30 seconds.
6 cups fresh spinach
Remove the spinach from the water with a slotted spoon and place in the ice bath. Once cool, drain and set aside.
Cook pasta in the boiling water as per package directions to al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Drain (do not rinse).
1 pound cavatappi pasta
In a blender or food processor, make the pesto by combining the blanched spinach, most of the hazelnuts (reserve some for garnishing), lemon, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, and olive oil.
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ cup olive oil
Blend until you reach your desired consistency. Add more oil or some water if needed.
In a large bowl or the empty pasta pot, combine the cooked pasta and pesto sauce. Toss to combine. Use the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
Serve immediately and garnish as desired with the reserved chopped nuts, lemon wedges, and fresh cheese.

Notes

You can use frozen spinach as well. If frozen, first thaw and drain and use 1.25 cups of the spinach.
Certain pasta shapes need more sauce to coat them because of having greater surface area. If using a different shape, add the pesto a little at a time to get the right ratio. High-edge shapes such as angel hair will likely need more sauce, or cut back on the pasta quantity.
To ensure a truly vegetarian pasta, make sure you are using vegetarian cheese.

Nutrition