Pasta with Red Radicchio and Pancetta Pesto
Creamy radicchio pesto pasta enriched with crispy pancetta, toasted almonds, and pine nuts. The pesto combines blanched red radicchio with nuts and olive oil for a vibrant, slightly bitter sauce that clings to caserecce or fusilli. Fresh thyme garnish adds aromatic finishing notes.
Ingredients
- 11 oz pasta, caserecce or fusilli
- 5 ½ oz pancetta
- 2 cucchiai extra virgin olive oil
- fresh thyme, leaves
- 5 ½ oz radicchio, Chioggia varietychicory1:1vegetables
similar bitterness and texture
- 2 oz almonds
- ⅝ oz pine nuts
- 1 ½ oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, gratedGrana Padano1:1cheeseeggs-free
milder alternative
- 3 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt(optional)
- 1 pizzico black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- 1
Remove outer radicchio leaves, halve, and slice into thin ribbons.
- 2
Soak radicchio in cold water for about 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- 3
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
- 4
Combine radicchio, pine nuts, almonds, salt, and pepper in a food processor and blend for one minute.
- 5
Add extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmigiano and blend again for 2-3 minutes until creamy.
- 6
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over high heat, add pancetta and crisp for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn.
- 7
Drain pasta al dente and toss in the skillet with pancetta for one minute off heat.
- 8
Remove from heat, add radicchio pesto with one ladle of pasta cooking water and stir to emulsify.
- 9
Adjust consistency with additional pasta water if needed for creamy texture.
- 10
Plate and garnish with fresh thyme leaves and cracked black pepper.
Tips
Soak radicchio to reduce bitterness and improve texture.
Keep pesto off heat until the final toss to preserve fresh flavor and prevent seizing.
Use pasta water gradually to achieve silky, clinging sauce consistency.
Good to Know
Pesto keeps refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; store separately from pasta.
Prepare pesto up to 2 days ahead. Cook pasta fresh; assemble just before serving.
Serve immediately. Optional: drizzle additional olive oil and scatter extra fresh thyme.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the radicchio soak to avoid overly bitter pesto.
Do not over-process the pesto to avoid grainy, broken texture; blend just until creamy.
Do not add pesto while pan is on heat to avoid sauce breaking or pesto cooking unevenly.
Substitutions
Nut-Free Alternatives
General Alternatives
similar bitterness and texture