01 Apr Peruvian Pesto or Green Pasta Recipe (Tallarines Verdes)
Peruvian Pesto Pasta Recipe, or what we call Green Pasta “tallarines Verdes” In Peru, is our local fusion version of the original Italian Pesto. It also has Basil as one of the main ingredients, but we add a lot of spinach to the sauce. It is a staple in many Peruvian household recipes.
Spinach is rich in many vitamins, and I promise you will not notice it when it is inside the sauce. It is also a vegetarian-friendly dish because it is full of green leaves, milk and cheese. It is a perfect way to hide those green veggies for your little one or not so little picky eaters.
You will need a few ingredients for this sauce, and the good thing is that you can freeze up to 2 months for further use. It will be good to scale the recipe and prepare it in batches for that lazy night when you only simmer some pasta and add the Peruvian pesto sauce to it. For those batch-cookers is a perfect recipe.
Ingredients:
- garlic
- onion
- spinach
- basil
- evaporated milk
- haloumi cheese or fresco cheese.
- pecans
- pasta
- salt
- oil
- pepper
I mix everything in the food processor, but you can only do it with a hand blender or regular blender. As you can imagine, a quick dinner idea for those busy nights.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a Peruvian version of the original Italian Pesto.
We usually eat it with Penne because we love to get some sauce inside of each Pasta, but they also serve the spaghetti with a steak on the side in Peru.
Yes, you can freeze it for up to 2 months.
Green Pasta is what we, Peruvians, call our version of Pesto. It is a sauce made of spinach, Basil, milk and cheese.
Yes, Peruvian Pesto or Tallarines Verdes is considered a household staple for those quick dinners or lunch.
Products that I use for this recipe:
- Mixing bowls: https://amzn.to/3FO6cUX
- Measuring cups: https://amzn.to/3lXo3B7
- Food Processor: https://amzn.to/3ncdf2u
- Pot: https://amzn.to/3FA1kma
*The above link is an affiliate link, meaning Canguro Criollo makes a commission if you purchase via our link. This does not affect the price you pay or our decision to recommend them. We will provide an exact product or something similar if the same product is no longer available.
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Peruvian Pesto or Green Pasta Recipe (Tallarines Verdes)
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Peruvian
Description
This Peruvian Pesto, a Peruvian household recipe, is a quick dinner recipe rich in Basil and spinach, perfect for hiding some veggies for those picky eaters.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 bunch of spinach
- 1 bunch of Basil
- 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
- 1 cup of halloumi cheese or fresco cheese.
- 5 pecans chopped
- 500 grams of pasta
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- We need to fry the onion and garlic with the oil at medium heat. Let the onion get translucent. Add some salt and pepper to the preparation. Please turn off the heat and set it aside for further use.
- Meanwhile, boil enough water to cover the Spinach and Basil leaves. Pour the boiling water over the leaves, let it stand for 3- 5 minutes, and change it to a colander to discard the excess water. This process is called to blanched the leaves.
- Put the blanched leaves in a food processor or a bowl with a hand blender. Add the cooked onions and garlic, pecans, cheese and milk. Add some salt and pepper and taste it.
- Cook the Pasta as the direction and strain them as soon as they are al dente. In the same pot, cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes and add the strained pasta.
- Enjoy the green Pasta or Peruvian Pesto (tallarines Verdes) with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Notes
You can serve it with a steak or chicken schnitzel on the side.
Keywords: tallarines verdes, peruvian pesto, green pasta
Hi! I’m Valeria (aka Val) the photographer and recipe developer behind Canguro Criollo. My passion for food began when I was little at my home when everything will revolve around food and now I discover this new creative outlet of food photography. I wish you can follow my journey discovering unique ways of preparing Peruvian food abroad and some other family-friendly foods.
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