Lemon Pesto Pasta Sauce with Artichoke

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5 from 1 vote

Lemon Pesto Pasta Sauce with Artichoke

A citrussy and refreshing lemon pesto pasta sauce with Parmesan, toasted nuts, and sweet earthy artichokes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 689kcal

Author: Helen

Equipment

Ingredients

Lemon Pesto Sauce

40 g walnuts, almonds or pine nuts (Note 1)
80 g artichokes (Note 4)
50 g Parmesan finely grated (Note 2)
2 lemons zest (Note 3)
1 lemon juice
80 ml olive oil
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder optional (Note 5)
¼ tsp ground turmeric optional (Note 6)

Pasta

400 g pasta (Note 7)
250 ml reserved pasta water (Note 8)

To serve (optional)

Parmesan grated
Fresh Basil chopped

US Customary - Metric

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 flavour.
Turmeric: This is optional and used to give the sauce a vibrant yellow flavour.
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.

Storage:

Lemon 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.

Nutrition