RecipesUK 
Wild Herb Pesto Pasta
Fresh pasta with homemade pesto using foraged wild garlic and garden herbs.
Ingredients
- 1 large handful wild garlic leaves
- 1 handful fresh parsley
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 50g nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds)
- 50g parmesan
- 80-120ml olive oil
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt & black pepper
- 300g pasta
Method
- 1
Boil pasta in salted water. Reserve ½ cup pasta water before draining
- 2
Add wild garlic, herbs, nuts, parmesan, lemon zest to food processor. Pulse
- 3
Drizzle in olive oil until desired consistency. Season
- 4
Toss hot pasta with pesto. Add splash of pasta water to loosen
- 5
Stir in optional toppings. Finish with extra herbs or lemon zest
Swaps & variations
- Add chilli flakes for heat
- Add spinach for extra volume
- Add rocket for pepperiness
- Add avocado for creamy pesto
- Add anchovy or miso paste for umami depth
Storing & freezing
Pesto keeps 1 week refrigerated topped with oil. Freeze in ice-cube trays for 3 months.
Grow it yourself
- Wild Garlic: Forage Feb-April. Harvest responsibly, taking few leaves per plant
- Parsley: Prefers partial shade and moist soil
- Basil: Needs warmth—plant only after frost or keep indoors
- Wild garlic: naturally repels many pests
- Basil: deters aphids, whitefly, and mosquitos
- Parsley: attracts beneficial hover flies
- Wild Garlic: Pick leaves before plant flowers for best flavour
- Parsley: Harvest from outside of plant
- Basil: Take leaves from top to encourage branching
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