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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Vegetarian Recipes » Toasted Pistachio Arugula Pesto with Brown Rice Fusili Pasta

    LAST UPDATED: October 4, 2020 • FIRST PUBLISHED: April 13, 2011 By Toni Dash 19 Comments

    Toasted Pistachio Arugula Pesto with Brown Rice Fusili Pasta

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    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Toasted Pistachio Arugula Pesto with Brown Rice Fusili Pasta

    Arugula, also known as ‘roquette’ (pronounced ‘rocket’), is my all time favorite green. Its peppery bite and tender texture is something I can’t ever get enough of.

    An obvious use for arugula is in salads. I also love it on pizza too! However last year when making massive batches of pesto at the end of August to freeze for winter, I began to experiment with arugula pesto with great success. Celebrating the first of the season from our local Farmer’s Market, I decided to glorify it further by using pistachio nuts from my recent road trip to New Mexico in the place of pine nuts. The results were fabulous AND fast; this entire pesto pasta dish is ready in less than 30 minutes!

    arugula in food processor

    Traditional pesto is made with basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and Parmesan cheese. It is a very fast and fresh way to dress pasta, as a sauce for chicken or fish, or a sauce for vegetables. Once you begin to make it you’ll realize the possibilities are endless and it’s such an easy thing to whip up! I’ve provided my base pesto recipe but you can make it more peppery with more arugula or garlic. Season to your own preference!

    Toasted Pistachio Arugula Pesto with Brown Rice Fusili Pasta
    Pasta is very popular in my household. Being gluten-free has introduced us to new varieties of pasta we might not ever had tried on our own. Loving shapes and textures in my food, I used a brown rice fusili pasta to pair with the Toasted Pistachio Arugula Pesto. Finding a sturdy non-wheat pasta can be tricky. Often the taste or structure do not compare to regular pasta with gluten. Through our experimentation we’ve found Tinkyada brand brown rice pastas in my opinion have great flavor as well as structure that is more like regular wheat flour pasta. It also comes in a variety of traditional shapes (spaghetti, linguine, penne, etc) making adaptation of traditional gluten-based pasta recipes very easy!
    A plate of Toasted Pistachio Arugula Pesto with Brown Rice Fusili Pasta

     
    Toasted Pistachio Arugula Pesto with Brown Rice Fusili Pasta

    Toasted Pistachio Arugula Pesto with Brown Rice Fusili Pasta (gluten free)

    Spicy arugula pesto is a perfect topping for brown rice pasta.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Save Recipe Recipe Saved! Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 390kcal
    Author: Toni Dash
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    Ingredients

    • 4-5 cups arugula , washed, long stems removed
    • 1 large garlic clove
    • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup pistachio nuts , shelled
    • Salt and Pepper to taste
    • 1 package prepared Brown Rice Fusili Pasta

    Instructions

    • Heat a small, dry skillet over medium heat until warm. Add the pistachio nuts, stirring frequently until they begin to toast and become lightly brown (about 3-4 minutes). Be careful to not allow them to burn.
    • In the bowl of a food processor, place 4 cups arugula, garlic clove, toasted pistachio nuts and olive oil. Process until liquefied, scraping sides of the bowl as necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste. Note: If thinner pesto is desired, add more olive oil.
    • Serve over freshly made pasta with some chopped pistachio nuts for garnish.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 340IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1.4mg
    Did you make this recipe?Mention @boulderlocavore or tag #boulderlocavore!
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    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    TONI DASH
    Toni Dash head shot

    Toni Dash, is a Certified Nutrition Coach and the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of Boulder Locavore®. She has been developing easy to make, well-tested recipes since 2010. Her seasonal recipes bring excitement to the dining table for both gluten-free and gluten diners. Toni has been featured in numerous publications and on culinary websites for her creative, delicious recipes and travel features. For more details, check out her About page.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. The Mistress of Spices says

      May 25, 2011 at 3:34 pm

      5 stars
      I have long been looking for the perfect arugula pesto recipe, and this looks like it could be it! My cheese hating husband will love that this is cheeseless. Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    2. RV Goddess says

      April 16, 2011 at 5:04 am

      I made your pesto tonight and served it tossed with fettuccine.

      Reply
    3. Jean says

      April 16, 2011 at 4:45 am

      I only make my pesto with a combination of toasted pistachios and pine nuts. The former lend such a nice nutty taste to the pesto–I know yours is great because of this. Must try with arugula next time, though. I bet the peppery quality of the arugula is great. 🙂

      Reply
    4. briarrose says

      April 15, 2011 at 9:32 pm

      What a great version of pesto….I wouldn't have thought to go with arugula. Lovely job.

      Reply
    5. Chef Dennis says

      April 15, 2011 at 4:04 pm

      such beautiful images of a truly delicious pasta dish! I have never made arugula pesto, but I do love pistachio's! thank you so much for teaching me a new pesto today!
      Cheers
      Dennis

      Reply
    6. kitchenmorph says

      April 14, 2011 at 5:22 pm

      5 stars
      oh Toni, i have been away from here for so long…hope you doing good. will get back to my back log here. i've been exxtending apologies to one and sundry!!

      Reply
    7. Peggy says

      April 14, 2011 at 10:10 pm

      We always get a bunch of arugula in with our CSA during the spring/summer and I never know what to do with it besides salads – now I've got something new to try! =)

      Reply
    8. Carolyn says

      April 14, 2011 at 9:41 pm

      It looks really great, what an innovative way to use arugula!

      Reply
    9. ladymorgiana says

      April 14, 2011 at 4:52 am

      oh wow! Great minds think alike 😉 You made pasta as well! Your pesto looks delicious, I must say that I made rukolla/rocket pesto before, I just use sunflower seeds. But since I read an article about Italian living in POland that sunflower seeds are great substitute to be used in pesto, I use them all the time. Pistachio on the other hand sound more than yummy!
      btw, to anwser your question I'm going to Colchester to visit Mr Big Guy. Colchester is one of the oldest towns in UK (reaching back to roman times) so I'm quite excited.

      Reply
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    About Toni Dash

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    Welcome! I’m Toni. I’m a Certified Nutrition Coach and my goal is to MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER with delicious, well-tested recipes and travel tips! More About Me …

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