Tallarines Verdes (Peruvian Green Spaghetti)
Italian influences shine through in this yummy, creamy Peruvian pesto sauce with spinach and basil. Serve up your green spaghetti on its own or with your favorite protein.
Servings 8 people
Calories 335kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup red onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ½ pound fresh spinach leaves
- 1 bunch basil leaves about 5 ounces
- 1 cup coconut milk can also use canned evaporated milk
- ½ cup queso fresco
- ¼ cup walnuts pinenuts, cashews, or almonds
- 16 ounces whole wheat spaghetti pasta or other pasta but preferably noodles
- 2 cups green veggies such as asparagus, peas, green beans, broccoli, or other
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Make the Sauce
- Saute the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil, on medium heat until translucent. Be sure to stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn. When the onions are done, add the spinach and cook just until wilted.
- Transfer the cooked spinach to a blender. Add the onion, basil, coconut milk, cheese, walnuts. Blend well, taste and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside until pasta is ready.
Make Pasta and Veggies
- Heat a large pot of salted water to boil. When boiling, add noodles and cook spaghetti until al dente.
- At the same time, heat another medium pot of boiling water to blanch the green veggies. When the water is boiling, add the veggies and cook for one minute. At the end of one minute, plunge the veggies into cold water to stop the cooking process.
Put it all together
- When the pasta is ready, drain well. In the same pot the pasta cooked, heat the sauce and half the vegetables on medium heat. Stir occasionally.
- When sauce is heated add the pasta and toss to coat the noodles. Serve up and add the remaining vegetables on top.
Notes
- Cheese it right: Feta cheese is a great option if you can’t find queso fresco, but remember to crumble it and rinse well with water before adding it in to cut down the tanginess of the cheese.
- Use fresh: Use fresh spinach for this recipe. Frozen spinach may seem like an easy shortcut, but quite frankly, fresh spinach is less work and tastes better too!
- Make it creamy: Use canned coconut milk for a creamier sauce. While most other plant-based milks might work too, they won’t lend the sauce that rich, creamy flavor you’re looking for.
- Get authentic: To make the perfect authentic Peruvian green spaghetti, start with linguine noodles, and don’t forget to add some hot sauce.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 459mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3027IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 5mg
