Fresh Garlic Scape Pesto Pasta Recipe with Cherry Tomatoes
A quick and easy summer pasta dish featuring a bright, herbaceous garlic scape pesto paired with juicy cherry tomatoes. This recipe celebrates seasonal ingredients with fresh, vibrant flavors.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup fresh garlic scapes, chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup toasted nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 ounces pasta (linguine, spaghetti, penne, or fusilli)
Instructions
- Toast the nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Rinse and roughly chop the garlic scapes into 1-inch pieces.
- In a food processor, combine garlic scapes, toasted nuts, Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse to break down ingredients.
- With the processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until smooth but slightly textured. Scrape sides as needed and adjust seasoning.
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water according to package instructions until al dente (8 to 10 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
- Toss drained pasta with pesto, adding reserved pasta water gradually to loosen sauce and help it cling to noodles.
- Gently fold in halved cherry tomatoes, keeping them intact.
- Serve immediately, optionally topped with extra Parmesan, olive oil drizzle, fresh basil, or crushed red pepper flakes.
Notes
If pesto is too thick, add reserved pasta water to loosen. Avoid overmixing after adding tomatoes to keep them intact. Toast nuts carefully to avoid burning. Fresh garlic scapes are best for bright flavor. Pesto can be stored refrigerated up to 3 days with olive oil on top to prevent browning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/4
- Calories: 420
- Fat: 22
- Carbohydrates: 40
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 14
Keywords: garlic scape pesto, cherry tomatoes, pasta recipe, summer pasta, quick dinner, fresh pesto, vegetarian pasta