Flavourful Pancetta Pesto Pasta

This Delicious Pancetta Pesto Pasta can be made in only 17 minutes!

The first time I had truly amazing pesto was in a little cafe in Rome during an exceptionally hot day. My husband and I had gotten into the habit of waking early, taking long walks around the city and sightseeing, then having a hearty lunch before going back to our hotel to wait out the hottest midday sun before venturing out again. I ordered pesto pasta because the green sauce sounded so refreshing. It was a revelation. Creamy yet bright, and simply bursting with flavour. Now I love a good pesto. 

Pesto is a raw sauce: a combination of cheese, herbs, nuts, and garlic. It’s incredibly versatile, and allows for endless variations and combinations. A traditional pesto is made with Parmesan, Basil, Pine Nuts, garlic, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but you can always switch it up once you get the hang of the basic technique. The traditional way to make a pesto is with a mortar and pestle, but I like to use a food processor which enables me to have this Pancetta Pesto Pasta on the table in under twenty minutes.

This beautiful Pancetta Pesto Pasta is a twist on the classic. I add baby spinach for some added nutrients and a slightly different flavour profile. I also switch out the pine nuts. When my son was an baby we discovered that he had a peanut allergy. After doing copious amounts of research, I found that sometimes people with peanut allergies can also react to pine nuts (despite the fact that pine nuts are not actually nuts). Although the chance was slim, I was concerned enough that I stopped making pesto for quite some time. Later, when we discovered my son could eat tree nuts (different from peanuts which are actually a legume), I decided to try making pesto again.

I use cashews in this pesto, and while not entirely traditional, I promise you that it’s delicious. The toasted nuttiness of the cashews compliments the creaminess of the grated parmesan and the herby brightness of the basil, while a good quality olive oil ties it all together. From stove to table in under twenty minutes, this Pancetta Pesto Pasta is as quick as it is delicious. I promise that if you make it, it will soon become one of your favourite dishes as well.

TOTAL TIME

• Preparation Time – 5 minutes
• Cooking Time – 12 minutes
• Total Time – 17 minutes

INGREDIENTS FOR PANCETTA PESTO PASTA

All the ingredients for this Pancetta Pesto Pasta are easy to source from any local grocer.

Pesto

• 2/3 cup Raw cashew nuts
• 2 cups Baby spinach
• 1 cup Fresh basil
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 tsp Chili flakes (optional)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan
• 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil

Pancetta

• 1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 150 grams Pancetta
• 2 cloves Garlic

Pasta

• 1 box (~500g) of desired pasta

CAN I MAKE THIS WITH ANOTHER KIND OF PASTA?

You can make this delicious pesto with any pasta you wish, but I’d suggest using something short that will grab the sauce well. Orecchiette, fusilli, penne rigate, or gemelli would all work well in this dish.

WHAT IS PANCETTA?

Pancetta is similar to bacon with one important difference: while bacon is smoked and purchased raw, pancetta is salt cured and dried, which means it is safe to eat without being cooked. Pancetta is a beautiful product that originates in Italy, but is very easy to find in most grocery stores. You can buy it in larger chunks or pre diced in most deli departments. I like to save myself some time and purchase it pre diced.

CAN I MAKE THIS VEGETARIAN?

If you’d like to make this beautiful pesto vegetarian you absolutely can. I would suggest taking all the same steps, simply leaving out the pancetta. You can cook the garlic in olive oil without the pancetta before adding the pasta to it. The final dish will have a slightly different flavour, but I promise you that it will still be delicious.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

CAN I SUBSTITUTE ANOTHER NUT FOR CASHEWS?

You could obviously use the traditional pine nuts in this recipe if you’d like. You could also use another fatty nut like walnuts if you’d like. The important thing is you want to use a nut that has fat, which will allow it to toast beautifully and puree smoothly.

CAN I SUBSTITUTE PRE GRATED PARMESAN FOR FRESH?

Absolutely not. Pre grated Parmesan is an entirely different product than fresh Parmesan. Fresh Parmesan is a beautiful sharp hard cheese that I use in most of my pasta recipes. It has a salty tang that is the perfect addition to any pasta dish, and adds a wonderful flavour to this pesto. Pre packaged Parmesan is processed and packed with chemicals that keep it shelf stable. It tastes nothing like fresh.

CAN I USE BACON INSTEAD OF PANCETTA?

If you can’t find pancetta, I would suggest making this dish vegetarian. As said above, pancetta has a different flavour than bacon. Substituting one for the other will change the flavour of this dish. You can substitute bacon if you wish, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

CAN I USE ANOTHER KIND OF CHEESE?

You need to use a hard sharp cheese in this recipe. If you’d like to substitute Parmesan for something else, you could certainly use Pecorino or Grana Padano, both of which are delicious sharp cheeses.

CAN I SUBSTITUTE ANOTHER LEAFY GREEN FOR SPINACH?

You could go the traditional route and use all basil in this recipe if you wish. Other leafy greens that would work beautifully are Kale and Arugula, both of which will change the flavour of this pesto while remaining delicious.

EQUIPMENT FOR PANCETTA PESTO PASTA

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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make this delicious Pancetta Pesto Pasta:

• Heavy Bottomed Pan – My most used pan by far is my Le Creuset Braising Pan. It is made of heavy cast iron and coated in ceramic as all Le Creuset cast iron pans are. It’s large and deep which makes it perfect for everything from frying to making sauces. I can’t recommend it enough.

• Tongs

• Kitchen Knife – Zwilling J.A. Henkel Kitchen Knife a good kitchen knife is a necessary tool for any home cook. Quality and price point varies widely. This is what I use at home. It’s a perfectly decent knife, while still being very affordable.

• Cutting Board

• Kitchen Aid Food Processor – I use my Kitchen Aid Food Processor whenever I need to to finely chop and puree vegetables or a sauce. It works beautifully to chop the cashews into fine mince, and then pulse and mix all the pesto ingredients together.
  

COOKING DIRECTIONS

This Pancetta Pesto Pasta can be prepared in under twenty minutes. It is as simple to prepare as it is delicious, provided you follow a few rules:

1. Keep a close eye on your nuts to ensure they don’t burn.
2. Use the freshest basil and spinach you can.
3. Use good quality olive oil.

MAKE AHEAD STORAGE

There is nothing you can make in advance for this Pancetta Pesto Pasta.

This delicious pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to four days, and can be frozen in an airtight container.

FINISHED DISH

Enjoy your amazing Pancetta Pesto Pasta!

OTHER PORK DISHES

Fettuccine Carbonara

Pesto Sausage Ravioli Recipe

Pork and Beef Rigatoni Bolognese

OTHER PASTA DISHES

Making Pasta from Scratch

Shrimp and Scallop Pasta with Lemon

Easy Parmesan Meatballs with Spaghetti

Delicious Breaded Chicken Pasta

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

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