This is a satisfying vegetarian pasta dinner that even feels a little gourmet, largely because arugula pesto and baby turnips aren’t exactly common in pastas.
I call this “chewy” pasta because I emphasize the importance of cooking your pasta to al dente. This is a pasta that is slightly undercooked and still chewy in the center. Cooking your pasta properly is the secret to a satisfying chew that elevates a vegetarian dining experience.
Jump to Recipe
Chewy pasta is especially important for vegetarian pastas, because the noodles simulate a meat-like texture.
I also recommend using a large noodle to maximize this benefit. Since each noodle will be coated with pesto, you will be able to savor every bite.
Arugula pesto
Have you noticed that every time you eat out these days arugula is on the menu? I certainly have. It seems a bright peppery flavor is in high demand.
My guess is that arugula provides a suitable contrast to some of the other strong flavors that are on the average lunch or dinner plate. It also sounds more gourmet than lettuce, doesn’t it?
Personally, I find that raw arugula is a little strong for me, so I devised an arugula pesto recipe to mellow it out.
My arugula pesto uses a blanching technique where you partially cook the arugula in boiling water, and then shock it in ice cold water to stop the cooking.
This blanching method tones down arugula's sharp flavor and helps the greens keep their vivid color. For me, this is perfect. I hope you also think so.
I call for arugula pesto in today's chewy pasta recipe. But if you have another pesto on hand, you can use it instead. However, use your own judgement about quantity.
My arugula pesto contains a lot of healthy greens, and the amount of olive oil it has is very low, so I call for a cup of pesto for 5-6 ounces of pasta.
This amount could be too rich if you are using another pesto, such as basil pesto. So use your judgement.
Baby turnips
When I was making this recipe a couple days back, I found myself marveling about turnips and their greens, and how happy I was to have them in my hands.
I had just returned to my kitchen after being away for 10 days.
Being the middle of July, my garden was in full growth mode. The arugula I had harvested before leaving was all over the place, and the turnips had produced almost 2-inch bulbs with beautiful greens.
Naturally I thought of making my favorite chewy pasta dish.
As I prepared my vegetables I thought about what I had eaten over the 10 days I had been away. I was eating out alot. I realized that my diet was not as diverse as I am used to.
In the United States, only a few vegetables are used commonly. These include tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, carrots, cabbage, zucchini, broccoli, lettuce, and cauliflower.
Yet vegetarians rely on vegetables for sustenance.
If you are vegetarian, but when you go to most restaurants, about 90 percent of the menu isn’t available to you. And what is available isn’t usually a complete meal for a vegetarian.
So I felt pretty grateful to be back cooking from the garden, and preparing baby turnips and turnip greens, as their mild pungency and bitterness is a welcome bit of diversity.
Turnips greens are usually discarded before sale as they are delicate and don’t transport well, but you can sometimes get them at farmers' markets or specialty grocers.
For this recipe, you can substitute the turnip greens for kale, radish greens, green onion, or no additional greens.
Garnishes
I can suggest a bunch of garnishes for this chewy pasta. They add bright flavor, texture, and visual interest to the dish.
What I recommend are all on hand from the pesto, so just keep some extra aside. You can offer the garnishes separately at the table in little bowls, or garnish each individual serving if you want to do it restaurant-style.
FLAKE SALT: Flake salt (known as finishing salt) is an awesome ingredient to have in your pantry. The flakes melt in your mouth differently from table salt, and the overall salt flavor is milder.
If you haven’t tried flake salt, check this. It could change your life!
You may just find this salt starting to go on everything from eggs to salads. A quality natural salt is high in essential minerals, trace minerals, and all kinds of good and rare stuff.
In addition to the arugula pesto and turnips you are about to enjoy in this chewy pasta, flake salt will add diversity to your diet.
PARMIGIANO REGGIANO: Who wouldn't enjoy extra parmesan on their pasta. Get a good block of parmigiano reggiano and chunk it on.
WALNUTS: Walnuts are in the pesto. Easy to add extras, for crunch.
Chewy Pasta with Arugula Pesto & Baby Turnips
Helpful Kitchen Tools:
- Pasta strainer
Ingredients
- ½ pound pasta, cooked to al dente
- ¾ cup succulent arugula pesto, get the recipe here
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 6-8 small to medium “baby” turnips
- 4 cups turnip greens, optional (sub with kale, chard, etc.)
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt, or to taste
for the garnishes
- finishing salt, to taste
- fresh lemon juice, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
- walnuts
Instructions
prepare the vegetables
- Prepare your turnips by cutting off the greens (if you have them) and washing them. If you are using baby turnips you can keep the skins on, as they are less tough at this stage and the skins are full of nutrition. Otherwise, peel the turnips. Slice the turnips into quarter-inch thick, bite-sized pieces and set aside until needed.
- If you have the turnip greens, chop into 1-inch pieces and wash well. Substitute with kale, radish greens, or green onions.
make the arugula pesto and/or cook the pasta
- Start a saucepan about ⅔ full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons salt to the boiling water and stir well. If you are making the arugula pesto, use the boiling water for the pasta to blanch the arugula before cooking the pasta in the same water.
- If you already have pesto, go ahead and cook your pasta noodles to al dente. Your pasta should be just slightly firm in the center to get your chewy texture. Drain the noodles in a colander, and set the noodles aside.
cook the turnips and finish the pasta
- Place a saute pan on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and garlic. After the garlic starts to brown, add the turnips, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of water.
- Cover the pan and allow the turnips to cook for 3–5 minutes. Once the turnips are almost cooked, add the turnip greens (or other greens) and another pinch of salt. Cook uncovered for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are done. Transfer to a bowl and set aside until needed.
- Use the same pan, and place it back on medium-high heat. Spoon in about a cup of pesto and allow the pesto to warm, stirring frequently. Don’t overcook the pesto so as to preserve the flavor and nutrition of your good quality olive oil. Turn off the heat and add the cooked pasta, turnips and greens. Use two spoons to combine and coat all the pasta with pesto. Add more pesto if you want.
to serve
- Plate the pasta in a large serving bowl or individual serving bowls. Top with a pinch of finishing salt, a squeeze of fresh lemon, fresh black pepper, parmesan cheese, and walnuts. You may also choose to serve the garnishes separately in tiny bowls and allow individuals to choose how much they want of each. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
For more Buttered Veg lifestyle content, follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
If you liked this post, please share it with your friends on social media, or leave a comment below.
Leave a Reply