Welcome to your free online Italian Genovese Basil Pesto Pasta Course! In this class, you will master Trofie al Pesto Genovese—an classic Italian pasta recipe. You’ll learn how to prepare basil pesto from scratch using the best tool for the job: a mortar and pestle!
This course is part of our series of Free Online Italian Cooking Classes for Pasta, where we teach you to cook pasta like Italians do—from dough to dishes.
Video Class Overview
This lesson is filmed in stunning 4K for visual clarity, with subtitles available in English, French, Spanish, German, and other languages.
Each class is structured to walk you through the techniques used by Italian cooks—so you can see what matters (and what doesn’t) when making pasta the traditional way.
Ingredients and How to Make Genovese Basil Pesto Pasta
The full ingredient list and step-by-step instructions are below. We’ve formatted the recipe for easy saving or printing. Be sure to watch the video first—it covers essential technique tips!
We use the most traditional measurements and techniques, so you can recreate this recipe exactly as it would be made in Italy. We recommend against shortcuts, so no substitutions unless noted.
Italian Genovese Basil Pesto Pasta Course: How to Make Pesto Like an Italian
Equipment
- Food Processor or
- Mortar and Pestle this is the preferred option
Ingredients
Pesto Genovese
- 2 oz fresh basil
- 1 ¾ oz pecorino cheese freshly grated; pecorino 'sardo' (from Sardegna) is traditional here, if you can find it!
- 1 ¾ oz Parmigiano Reggiano cheese freshly grated
- 2 cloves garlic mashed into a paste
- 2 pinch coarse salt
- 1 ¾ oz pine nuts
- 3 ¾ tbsp olive oil extra virgin
Veggies and Pasta
- ½ lb potatoes yellow
- 5 oz fresh green beans (or frozen) ends removed
- 18 oz pasta trofie (or gemelli or fusilli)
Instructions
Prepare the Vegetables
- Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Cut the green beans into bite size pieces. If using fresh green beans, remove the ends of the green beans as well.½ lb potatoes
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the chopped potatoes and cook until almost done (tender).
- Add the green beans and cook until they are tender but slightly crisp: about 5 more minutes.5 oz fresh green beans
- Transfer drained potatoes and green beans immediately to the ice bath (optional). Blanching with the ice water helps to preserve the color of the green beans. When cool, drain the vegetables and set aside.
Make the Pesto
- To the chilled mortar (bowl) add: fresh garlic cloves and salt.Mash the ingredients until you have a paste. Don't 'pound' with the pestle. Rather, press and move the pestle in circles to grind and mash.2 cloves garlic, 2 pinch coarse salt
- Add around half of the pine nuts to the mashed garlic. Crush the pine nuts into a paste.1 ¾ oz pine nuts
- Add the fresh basil leaves, a handful at a time. Add a few more pine nuts with each handful of basil to help provide friction for mixing.2 oz fresh basil
- Finish adding the basil and mashing it.
- Mix in a little of the olive oil. Then add the (finely grated) Parmigiano and Pecorino cheeses, a handful at a time.1 ¾ oz pecorino cheese, 1 ¾ oz Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Add the rest of the olive oil and mix to combine. Continue mixing until you've made a smooth and creamy paste. Salt to taste if needed.3 ¾ tbsp olive oil
Finish with Pasta
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Combine the pesto with the pasta, potatoes and green beans. Serve immediately!18 oz pasta
- Buon appetito!
Equipment and Tools
You don’t need a professional kitchen to make great pasta—but the right tools can make it easier. For this recipe, we recommend:
- Mortar and Pestle – a professional mortar and pestle is the ideal tool for making basil pesto for a reason! Unlike food processors and immersion blenders, the best mortar and pestles allow you to press the essential oils and flavors from the basil ingredients. This is especially critical for Pesto alla Genovese, where the heat from the blade can also change the flavor of the fresh ingredients (basil, garlic and pine nuts).
- Need help choosing a quality mortar and pestle? The best mortar and pestle we’ve found (the one featured in the video) is Made in Italy and we highly recommend it. Learn more about it in our guide.
How to Make Italian Basil Pesto Pasta
Trofie al Pesto Genovese is one of Italy’s most beloved pasta dishes. It is the pesto that all the other “basil pesto” recipes are mimicking. In Liguria, where this dish is traditional, a handmade local pasta called trofie is most often paired with the pesto. Trofie is delicious and you can make it at home, or find it in many specialty import shops.
- 00:00 – Intro
- 00:28 – Green Beans and Potatoes
- 02:16 – How to make Basil Pesto alla Genovese
- 08:34 – How to Make Pesto Pasta
Pro Tips for Making Italian Basil Pesto Pasta
Blanch the Potatoes and Green Beans
We want ‘soup’ potatoes here, compact with a yellow flesh. These less starchy potatoes will hold their shape when boiled, yet remain nice and soft. Dice the potatoes into bite-size pieces. Cut the green beans as well into bite-size pieces, removing the ends if needed.To blanch the potatoes and beans, put the salted pasta water on to boil.
Before adding the pasta, cook the veggies for 10 minutes— until the potatoes are almost tender. Then add the green beans to cook for about 5 minutes more. Finally, transfer both to a cold ice bath. This technique is called blanching. The thermal shock helps to preserve the color of the vegetables— especially the green given by the chlorophyll.
Nothing Beats a Mortar and Pestle
A traditional marble mortar and pestle is the right tool for making pesto. Heat is the Public Enemy Number One for basil and our other fresh ingredients. So, chill the mortar beforehand and avoid using electric blenders and food processors (see why below).
You can distinguish visually between a pesto made with a mortar and one made with shortcuts. The pesto made with a mortar will be pale green because the basil has been thoroughly mixed with the pine nuts and other ingredients. A pesto made with electric tools will usually remain bright green because the basil has been ‘cut’ rather than pressed.
The only tool we’ve find that comes close to delivering the taste and texture of a mortar and pestle is a Vitamix. Why? It has a powerful motor and can pulverize even nuts into butter. It can break down the ingredients quickly and efficiently without overheating (as long as you chill the container and use short quick pulses to avoid heating the blade.
Choose the Right Cheeses
The traditional recipe calls for Parmigiano Reggiano and pecorino “sardo” —that means from the island of Sardinia (Sardegna). It might seem strange but Genoa (a port city) has a long historical relationship with the island of Sardinia. The two regions have influenced one another’s regional cuisines.
Trofie is the Traditional Pasta
Trofie is a traditional pasta of Liguria, where the Pesto alla Genovese was born. You can find “trofie” online and in specialty stores. Otherwise, you can make it by hand.
Don’t Heat the Pesto
This is a dish best served “tiepido” which means slightly warm and the pesto will be added on top of the pasta right before it goes on the table. It’s the best way to preserve the freshness and aroma of the basil which is sensitive to heat and oxidation.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Using a Blender or Food Processor to Make the Pesto
You can use these tools to make pesto, but please don’t. Here’s why: The pesto will not taste as good because these tools cut rather than press and grind the basil and other ingredients. Grinding helps extract the maximum oil and flavor from the leaves. Also, it’s easy for the blades on these tools to heat the basil, changing the final taste as a result.
If you must use one of these tools, use short pulses to blend to avoid heating the basil too much. But trust us, the mortal and pestle really is worth the 10 minutes of work.