Lemon Pesto Pasta

Rigatoni with Lemon Pesto in a white bowl.

This rigatoni with lemon pesto pasta is fresh and light and so full of flavor! Made by tossing a simple lemon pesto with rigatoni and topping it with fresh mint and grated parmesan. This vegetarian recipe can be fit for a carnivore by simply topping it with shredded rotisserie chicken or adding grilled shrimp!

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Total Time:20

Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fresh recipes, lemon, lemon pesto, light recipe, one pot meal, simple pasta dish, summer dinner, summer meal, summer pasta, summer side dish

Servings:

Calories: 876kcal

Author: Mollie

Ingredients

1 lb Rigatoni Pasta
4 whole lemons, zested
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt salt
¼ cup Fresh Grated Parmesan plus more for garnishing
¼ cup Almonds (if you use salted almonds, reduce the amount of salt to ⅛ tsp)
½ cup Olive Oil
¼ cup butter
¼ cup Starchy Pasta Water
10 fresh mint leaves, rolled and sliced into thin slices

Instructions

Lemon Pesto

Star by blanching your lemons for 15 seconds in boiling water. This will remove any wax, dirt, or pesticides on the lemons. After 15 seconds remove the lemons from the boiling water and place them in an ice water bath to cool.
Zest your lemons.
Add lemon zest, almonds, grated parmesan, salt, and sugar to a food processor and process for 1 minute until it forms a grainy paste.
With food processor running, drizzle olive oil into lemon mixture.
Taste and add more salt if necessary.
Set aside until ready to use.

Pasta

Bring large pot of water to a boil.
Add pasta and boil for length of time according to instructions, then drain, but save ¼ cup of pasta water.
Return the pasta pan to the burner and heat on medium high heat.
Add Butter to pan.
Once it has melted, add pasta and lemon pesto and toss it all together.
Add a little bit of starchy pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you like the consistency.
Continue to toss everything together for 2 minutes, until everything is hot and well combined.
Garnish with mint and freshly grated parmesan and serve.
Enjoy!

Notes

Notes:

To make this meal a little more substantial, add shredded rotisserie chicken, or toss some cooked (grilled? sauteed?) shrimp on top!
Leftovers make a delicious pasta salad! Simply add a little more mint on top, and maybe some frozen peas and serve!
The zested lemons will last in your fridge for a week or so, but if you would like to use them up, check out my other lemon recipes such as Sugared Lemon Cookies, or Strawberry Salad with Creamy Lemon Dressing.
Feel free to use Avocado or Canola oil in place of the olive oil if you need a substitute!
Penne pasta is another good pasta option.

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