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Can you hear the pestle striking the mortar? Welcome to Liguria! Discover trofie al pesto genovese verde: twisted pasta that magically holds onto the sauce, a vibrant pesto with fresh basil, golden pine nuts, and aged cheese. The Dolce Vita, straight from Genoa, right into your kitchen.
Pesto Genovese Verde: the authentic flavors of Genoa
An iconic dish of Liguria, this trofie + pesto duo sums up the local spirit: simple ingredients, precise gestures, bold flavor. With every bite, you travel between sea and hills, with that basil fragrance that brings back memories of Nonna and pure classe all’italiana.
Here, authenticity comes first: trofie cooked just al dente, pesto prepared raw to preserve freshness and color. The result? A sauce that is green, silky, and aromatic, coating every spiral of pasta.
Also read: Traditional Italian Focaccia Recipe
Where does this traditional Italian recipe come from?
Pesto Genovese, born in Genoa, is a true culinary symbol. Its name comes from “pestare”: to crush in a mortar to release aromas without heating the leaves. This gesture, passed down in Famiglia, keeps the basil fresh, bright, alive.
By the 19th century, the base was set: basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino, garlic, olive oil. Local products, assembled raw, creating a creamy texture and that unmatched herbaceous-nutty flavor.
Mortar or blender? Tradition favors the former for finesse. Modern versions exist, but the spirit remains the same: preserve the color, avoid oxidation, and achieve a sauce that sings of Italian gastronomy.
I’m Vale’. At Casa Bandera, we learned this pesto in our Nonna’s kitchen: basil added by handfuls, pine nuts patiently crushed, cheese sprinkled in like rain. From Bologna to hidden Ligurian villages, this family heritage guides every gesture.
Ready to cook? Below you’ll find the recipe for trofie with pesto verde genovese, with authentic ingredients and clear steps, so you can understand and recreate the taste of Italian cuisine right at home.
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Information |
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Difficulty 2/5 Cost low Preparation time 10 min Cooking time 10 min Gluten |
Servings 4 Calories 820 kcal Utensils saucepan, blender or mortar, scissors Seasons spring, summer |
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Ingredients |
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Trofie 500 g Basil 70 g Parmesan cheese 50 g Pecorino romano 30 g Pine nuts 30 g Garlic 1 clove Olive oil 70 ml Stracciatella 2 Dried tomatoes 4 Salt and pepper |
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1 Wash basil leaves and branches in cold water to remove soil. You can use the basil leaves and branches for the recipe. Keep a few basil leaves and pine nuts to decorate the final dish.
2 Pour the parmesan, pecorino cheese (preferably in pieces), garlic clove, pine nuts and basil into a blender. Finally, pour in the olive oil.
3 Blend the ingredients until you achieve a smooth and creamy sauce.
4 Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Once boiling, pour in the trofie and cook according to package instructions.
5 Pour a ladleful of pasta cooking water into the blender containing the pesto. Blend again to combine.
6 Drain the trofie and return them to the large saucepan. Add the pesto sauce and stir. Wait 1 minute for the sauce to soak into the pasta.
7 Serve your trofie al pesto genovese in pasta plates. Garnish with stracciatella, pine nuts, basil leaves and pieces of sun-dried tomato cut into strips with scissors. Finally, season with pepper.
Recommended Italian wine pairing?
To enhance the delicate flavors of trofie with genovese pesto, I recommend a Vermentino di Sardegna, whose freshness and citrus aromas are a perfect match for this traditional dish.
Discover my selection of the best Italian wines: Top 10 Best Italian Wines Loved Worldwide
Buon Appetito !
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