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truffle pesto pasta on a plate
5 from 4 votes

Truffle Pesto Pasta

Blog: www.nextinlime.com

Author: Nelo
Servings: 4 sides

Ingredients

For pasta

  • 8 ounces (227 g) pasta - uncooked. I prefer rigatoni or penne
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil - or any cooking oil, to prevent pasta from clumping

For truffle pesto sauce

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic - finely minced or grated
  • ½ cup (118 ml) chicken or vegetable broth/stock - low sodium (Note A)
  • ¾ cup (177 ml) heavy whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ cup (25 g) parmesan cheese - freshly grated. Press down tightly into the cup to measure
  • ½ cup (118 ml) basil pesto - store-bought (Note B)
  • 1 teaspoon black truffle oil - or white (Note C)

Garnish (optional)

  • some finely chopped parsley

Instructions

  • In a large pot, bring salted water to boil. Cook your pasta in it until al dente, following the package instructions (see Note D). Once cooked, drain in a colander. To prevent pasta from sticking together, drizzle olive oil on it and then gently and carefully mix.
  • While the pasta is cooking, in a large skillet/pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Then add minced/grated garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds – don't let it turn brown.
  • Add the broth and after 1 minute reduce heat to low. Then stir in the heavy cream, salt, crushed red pepper flakes and dried oregano. Cook 2 minutes while stirring.
  • Now add grated parmesan (reserve a small portion for garnish), stir/whisk until it gets melted. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until it slightly thickens. Stir frequently and do not increase the heat or the sauce will separate.
  • Next, mix in the pesto and truffle oil. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the drained pasta and gently fold to combine. If the sauce looks too thick, add a splash of cream or broth.
  • Transfer to serving plates. Sprinkle on that parmesan you saved earlier, plus some fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!

Notes

Note A: Broth – If using regular broth/stalk, not the low-sodium kind, cut the quantity of added salt in half. Taste the final dish and then add more if needed.
Note B: Pesto – If you'd like to make your own, Allrecipes has a nice pesto recipe.
Note C: Truffle oil – You can use white truffle oil instead of black, but may need a tiny bit more. Always start with less, keep tasting and add gradually.
Note D: Cooking pasta – To cook 8 ounces pasta, I used 8 cups of water and 2 teaspoons salt and cooked for 9 minutes (following the cook time instructions on the package).
Note E: Helpful content – Click on the links below for related useful content in the main body of the post.
Note F: Related – Try this truffle rigatoni next.