Pasta with Lamb and Mint-Pistachio Pesto
A pesto made with lots of cool mint, sharp Pecorino, bright lemon, and creamy pistachios balanced the pasta, lamb, and sweet peas.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon, divided
- ½ cup shelled pistachios toasted and chopped, divided
- 1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese grated (½ cup), divided, plus extra for serving
- 1½ teaspoons table salt divided, plus salt for cooking pasta
- 1 lemon 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 pound fusilli
- 1 pound ground lamb
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas thawed
Instructions
Make the pesto:
- Process the mint, ½ cup oil, ¼ cup pistachios, ¼ cup Pecorino, 1 teaspoon salt, lemon zest, and garlic in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Cook the pasta:
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot.
- Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon of salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente.
- Reserve 1 cup of cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
Cook the lamb:
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
- Add the lamb, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
Finish and serve:
- Transfer the lamb to the pot with the pasta.
- Add the peas, pesto, lemon juice, reserved cooking water, and remaining ¼ cup Pecorino to the pasta and toss to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup pistachios.
- Serve with extra Pecorino.
Notes
- You will need two large bunches of mint to yield 2 cups of leaves.
- We like the buttery flavor of pistachios here, but you can substitute slivered almonds.