Try this twist on pesto pasta with my almond-manchego cheese pesto sauce with roasted chilies tossed with pasta, served with soft boiled eggs, addictive! Great for easy weeknight meals.
Pesto Pasta Recipe with Almonds, Manchego Cheese, and Roasted Chilies
This recipe is quickly becoming one of our favorites, a sort of go-to for a quick meal. There is flat out something magical about pesto, the uber Italian sauce that goes so perfectly with pasta.
I often make batches of pesto and keep some in the fridge or freezer, and I actively look for ways to incorporate it into meals OTHER than pasta. It's great swirled into soups and as a spread, but a personal favorite is pairing pesto with soft boiled egg.
You will be surprised by the revelation of this combination.
What You'll Love About this Recipe
- This recipe is a spin on a traditional pesto recipe, using almonds with grated Manchego cheese and roasted Pimento de Padron peppers along with roasted garlic.
- The jammy yolks from the soft boiled eggs drip and ooze all over the pasta, coating the noodles for the most perfect bite.
Let's talk about how to make pesto pasta, Mike's way, shall we?
Ingredients
- Pasta. I'm using rigatoni noodles today, but any pasta will do.
- FOR THE PESTO SAUCE
- Peppers. I'm using pimento de padron peppers today, but you can use other peppers, like jalapenos or serranos.
- Garlic.
- Basil.
- Almonds. Use pine nuts for more traditional pesto sauce, but almonds are delicious, and they're far less expensive.
- Manchego Cheese. Parmesan cheese for more traditional pesto sauce, but Spanish manchego gives in a wonderful spin.
- Olive Oil.
- Salt and Black Pepper.
- TO FINISH
- Eggs. So good!
How to Make Pesto Pasta with Almonds, Manchego, and Roasted Chilies - the Recipe Steps
Roast the Peppers and Garlic. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and set them onto a lightly oiled baking sheet along with the garlic cloves. Dash it all with a bit more oil.
Bake 20 minutes, or until the pepper skins are nicely charred. Remove from heat, cool slightly and peel. Add to a food processor.
Squeeze garlic from their skins and into the food processor they go.
Make the Pesto Sauce. Add fresh basil leaves, almonds, cheese and oil. Process to form your thick pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add more oil if you prefer a thinner pesto.
Boil the Pasta Noodles. Boil the pasta to al dente, drain, and toss the pasta with the pesto, about 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup per serving, depending on your hunger level. Toss to coat! So good!
Soft Boil the Eggs. While pasta is cooking, boil the eggs for 5 minutes. Cool and peel. This is a great soft boil and will allow the yolks to be fairly runny, exactly what you want here.
Time to Serve. Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Slice the eggs in half and top the pasta. Serve.
Boom! Done! Quick and easy, isn't it? Your pesto pasta is ready to serve. Looks delicious, doesn't it? Look at those eggs, rich, vibrant yolks ready to drip down. I cannot wait to dig into this.
Homemade pesto is so much better than any store bought pesto, believe me. I know you will agree once you taste this.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Additional Ingredients. Lemon juice is a nice touch for a bit of brightness. Feel free to include some in the pesto or squeeze it over the top before serving. Cherry tomatoes are a wonderful addition as well. Or add some roasted peppers. So good!
- Proteins. Add some grilled chicken to this dish to make it a fuller meal. Shrimp is a good addition as well.
Try Some of My Other Popular Pasta Recipes
If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Pesto Pasta Recipe with Almonds, Manchego, and Roasted Chilies
Ingredients
- Pasta for 4 – I used rigatoni noodles
- 2 Pimento de Padron peppers You can use other peppers, like jalapenos or serranos
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ¼ cup almonds lightly toasted - use pine nuts for more traditional pesto sauce
- ¼ cup shredded Manchego cheese use parmesan cheese for more traditional pesto sauce
- ½ cup olive oil or more as desired
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and set them onto a lightly oiled baking sheet along with the garlic cloves. Dash it all with a bit more oil.
- Bake 20 minutes, or until the pepper skins are nicely charred. Remove from heat, cool slightly and peel. Add to a food processor.
- Squeeze garlic from their skins and into the food processor they go.
- Add basil, almonds, cheese and oil. Process to form your thick pesto. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Boil the pasta to aldente, drain, and toss with the pesto.
- While pasta is cooking, boil the eggs for 5 minutes. Cool and peel. This is a great soft boil and will allow the yolks to be fairly runny, exactly what you want here.
- Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Slice the eggs in half and top the pasta. Serve
Nutrition Information
Margaret says
So good!!! Thanks for sharing!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Glad you loved it!