A citrusy and refreshing lemon artichoke pesto pasta that you can whip up in just 15 minutes and toss with al dente pasta for a light and delicious meal.
This tantalizing twist on traditional basil pesto brings together the tangy brightness of lemons, creamy rich Parmesan, toasted nuts, and sweet earthy artichokes.
Have you tried red pesto pasta? Made with a tasty blend of sun-dried tomatoes and red peppers, like Thai Basil Pesto, it's another great alternative to traditional pesto recipes like this basil pesto linguine.
Or for more lemony pasta recipes try this Lemon Butter Garlic Pasta, Lemon Ricotta Pasta, Lemon Caper Linguine, or Garlic Lemon Shrimp Pasta.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
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4 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- Quick and easy - ready in just 15 minutes
- Light, citrusy, and refreshing - perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
- Make-ahead and freezer friendly - keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Versatile - serve as a main or side. Toss on pasta, gnocchi, or use to make salad dressing or sandwich spread.
🛒 Key ingredients:
- Nuts: Pine nuts, walnuts and almonds all work well so feel free to use what you have already. Whatever you choose, ensure you toast the nuts first to enhance their flavor and texture.
- Parmesan: Gives the pesto a nutty savory flavor and should be finely grated first.
- Lemon: The star ingredient. Unwaxed are recommended as you need the zest as well as the juice.
- Artichokes: Add an earthly sweetness and creamy texture. Use canned or jarred. If you use fresh artichoke, you will need to cook it first.
- Olive oil: The amount might seem like a lot but it's needed to bring the pesto to the right consistency.
- Seasoning: There's salt and pepper plus optional garlic powder to add extra flavor and turmeric to give the pesto sauce a warm yellow color.
- Pasta: Choose the shape you fancy. I personally like to serve lemon pesto with long pasta like spaghetti or linguine.
- Pasta water: the starchy water in which the pasta is cooked is used to make the pesto sauce nice and juicy and bring it to the right consistency. Make sure you reserve a couple of cups before you drain the pasta.
- To serve: Extra Parmesan and some roughly chopped fresh basil leaves are optional but highly recommended.
Substitutions:
Note that the recipe has not been tested with all the substitutions and variations below, so the results cannot be guaranteed.
- Parmesan: swap for another hard cheese like Pecorino or Grana Padano or use nutritional yeast for a vegan alternative.
- Garlic powder: You can use a fresh garlic clove instead. I recommend crushing it and frying for a minute or two in olive oil first to mellow the bitter taste.
Variations:
Fresh and zesty lemon pesto pasta is very versatile, with lots of optional add-ins to jazz it up.
- Protein: Toss in some cooked/leftover chicken or shrimp with the cooked pasta.
- Artichokes: If you have artichokes leftover, you can add them to the pasta too.
- Greens: Add spinach, kale or arugula.
- Nuts: Top with toasted nuts for extra protein.
- Parmesan crumbs: Add toasted breadcrumbs mixed with dried herbs and Parmesan for a crunchy topping.
Also, lemon artichoke pesto is not just for pasta. You can add it to gnocchi, potato salad, chicken, or fish, or use it as a sandwich spread.
🧑🍳 Recipe steps
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions! *
Step 1: Place a pan on a medium to high heat, toast the nuts until light brown and fragrant and set aside.
Step 2: Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Meanwhile, blitz the toasted nuts, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, artichokes, garlic powder, and turmeric (if using) using a food processor until they form a smooth paste.
Step 3: Drain the pasta, ensuring you reserve a couple of cups of the starchy cooking water first. Put the cooked pasta into a clean bowl or new pan, pour on the pesto sauce and toss together. Add a little reserved pasta water, a tablespoon at a time, until the pesto sauce reaches the desired consistency. Then serve immediately, topped with optional fresh basil and more grated Parmesan.
🍽️ Serving suggestions
Lemon pesto pasta can be served as a main or as a side dish with chicken and fish like my chicken panko or salmon with dill sauce.
It pairs nicely with garlic bread or a fresh salad like my Spinach and Chickpea Salad, Carrot, Cucumber & Mooli Salad or Strawberry and Rocket Salad.
It can also be used as a sandwich filling in a Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich.
Expert Tips
- Avoid peeling off the white pith when zesting the lemons. It will add bitterness to the pesto.
- Keep an eye on the pine nuts. They can go from nicely brown to burnt very quickly.
- Reserve some pasta water to pour on the cooked pasta pesto to bring it to the correct consistency. I suggest reserving about a cup. You probably won't need all of it, but it's better to have some leftover to ensure you have enough.
- Mix the pasta in a new bowl or pan rather than the pan you cooked the pasta in. Keeping the pesto sauce cool helps to preserve its vibrant citrusy flavors.
🙋 Recipe FAQs
Pesto can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week and frozen for up to 3 months. In both cases, it's advisable to cover the surface with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent browning. The bright lemony flavour might become muted after storing the pesto so you might want to add some extra lemon juice when you toss it with the pasta.
Add a little reserved pasta water until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Add a little at a time (no more than a tablespoon) to prevent the sauce from becoming too thin and watery.
You can use a fine cheese grater or you can carefully peel the lemon using a vegetable peeler and then finely chop the peel to create lemon zest.
There are several nut types that will work well in lemon pesto including pine nuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews and walnuts. Ensure you toast the nuts first until light brown and fragrant to enhance their texture and flavor.
Fresh lemons are preferred because they will give you a bright and more natural citrusy flavor, but you can substitute them with bottled lemon juice if necessary. Just not that it might alter the flavor of the pesto. Adjust the quantity of bottled lemon juice based on your preferences, starting with a smaller amount, and adding more gradually until you achieve the desired level of lemon flavor in the pesto.
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📖 Recipe
Lemon Pesto Pasta Sauce with Artichoke
Ingredients
Lemon Pesto Sauce
- 40 g (⅓ cup) walnuts, almonds or pine nuts (Note 1)
- 80 g (¼ cup) artichokes (Note 4)
- 50 g (½ cup) Parmesan finely grated (Note 2)
- 2 lemons zest (Note 3)
- 1 lemon juice
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder optional (Note 5)
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric optional (Note 6)
Pasta
- 400 g (14 oz) pasta (Note 7)
- 250 ml (200 ml) reserved pasta water (Note 8)
To serve (optional)
- Parmesan grated
- Fresh Basil chopped
Instructions
- Place a skillet on a medium to high heat and, lightly toast the nuts until they become lightly browned and fragrant. Remove them from the heat and set aside.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions in a generously salted pan of boiling water until al dente. Before draining the pasta, reserve about a cup (250ml) of the cooking water.
- In a food processor or blender, combine the toasted nuts, artichokes, Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and turmeric (if using). Blend the ingredients until they form a smooth paste.
- Put the drained pasta into a separate bowl or pan, pour on the lemon pesto and toss together. Add reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
- Serve immediately topped with optional fresh basil and more grated Parmesan.
Notes
- Nuts: pine nuts, walnuts, and almonds all work well.
- Parmesan: substitute with another hard cheese like Pecorino or Grana Padano or use nutritional yeast for a vegan alternative.
- Lemon zest: You can use a lemon zester, a fine cheese grater or you can carefully peel the lemon using a vegetable peeler and then finely chop the peel to create lemon zest. Avoid peeling off the white pith when zesting the lemons. It will add bitterness to the pesto.
- Artichokes: Use canned or jarred. If you use fresh artichoke, you will need to cook it first.
- Garlic powder: You can use a fresh garlic clove instead. I recommend crushing it and frying for a minute or two in olive oil first to mellow its bitter flavor.
- Turmeric: This is optional and used to give the sauce a vibrant yellow flavor.
- Pasta: Choose the shape you fancy. I personally like to serve lemon pesto with long pasta like spaghetti or linguine.
- Reserved pasta water: The starchy water in which the pasta is cooked is used to make the pesto sauce nice and juicy and bring it to the right consistency. Make sure you reserve a couple of cups before you drain the pasta.
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