Lemon Pesto Pasta with Mozzarella, Pancetta, and Portobellos
If you'd like to skip the post and step-by-step and go straight to the recipe, click here.Before you keep on reading, let me possibly save you some time real quick - if you’re here for a fast and delicious recipe for a versatile pesto sauce, and not all the other hullabaloo of a full pasta dish, you can find my step-by-step Lemon Pesto Sauce recipe by clicking on the link, and save yourself the trouble of reading through the extra instructions.
After a week straight of going to bed with a belly full of pasta from developing this recipe, you’d think I’d never want pesto pasta again for a very long time. But surprisingly, I’m ready for more! The combination of lemony, herbaceous pesto, rich mozzarella, roasty ‘shrooms, and salty pancetta crunch make me keep going back for more with this dish, and I would be happy eating it every week, as would my pesto-loving husband. Buuuut, there are just too many delicious dinners out there to choose from and so little time. *sigh*
While this lemon pesto sauce would be absolutely delicious in an uncountable number of dishes, I really think this one takes the cake (or the pasta, rather)! The sauce has a powerful kick. The lemon and basil are so fresh and citrusy, and the crushed red pepper flakes offer just a touch of heat (though if you like your pasta dishes good and spicy, you could definitely crank it up). But, because it’s spread over a generous helping of fettuccine and accompanied by the creaminess of fresh mozzarella, the salty richness of crisped pancetta, and the earthiness of baby portobellos, everything evens out, compliments each other, and makes it almost too easy to eat a giant plate full. This recipe makes 2 large servings or 3 small servings, but trust me, either way, you likely won’t have any leftovers to deal with!
This dish would be lovely for an at-home date night, a course for a small dinner party (it can be easily doubled if needed), or to impress a friend with your skills in the kitchen!
Step-By-Step Walk-Through:
If you’re feeling confident in your cooking skills and want to skip the step-by-step, click here.
Step 1:
Dry toasting the pine nuts
To start out, place a small pan over medium heat. I used a cast iron, but any small pan will work. You don’t need to add any oil to the pan, as you might if you were sauteeing - the nuts will toast just fine completely dry. Before the pan gets a chance to get hot, add 3 TBS. of pine nuts to the pan.
Stir the pine nuts occasionally, toasting over medium heat, for about 10 minutes. They should be a deep, toasty brown color, and smell very fragrant and nutty.
When they’re finished, remove from pan and set aside.
Step 2:
Measure your ingredients
First, zest and juice your lemon. Be sure to only get the thin, bright yellow layer in your zest, and not to go too deep into the white part of the rind (this will cause a bitter flavor, rather than a lemony freshness). Measure out ½ tablespoon of zest and 1 tablespoon of juice. If you choose to zest your whole lemon and you have extra zest, it can be frozen in a small food storage container and used in the future.
Next, grate your parmesan. Freshly grated parmesan is on a whole other level from the powdery pre-ground kind in the supermarket. The longer parmesan is stored after being grated or ground, the more flavor it loses. Fresh-grating your parmesan ensures the most creamy, nutty flavor, and allows for slightly bigger pieces of parmesan in your sauce that will create a more dynamic bite. Use the second largest size of grater for thin, small pieces. You’ll need ¼ cup, plus 1 tablespoon. If you grate too much, have a snack! Hehe.
Then, mince 2 cloves of garlic. You can also use pre-minced garlic (½ tablespoon), but it won’t have as strong of a flavor. Make sure to remove any skin on the garlic before mincing it.
Then, measure all your remaining sauce ingredients: 1/2 cup torn fresh basil, 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Note: if you have a high-powered blender or food processor that doesn’t require as much liquid to blend, you can start with 1/8 cup of olive oil and increase from there as needed, up to 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons.
Step 3:
Blending the sauce -
Add all of your measured ingredients (starting with 1/8 cup of the oil and only adding more as needed) into your blender or food processor, whichever you’d like to use to blend your pesto. Cover and blend to your desired consistency, stopping to scrape down the sides of your appliance with a rubber spatula as needed. For this dish, I prefer it to be a little chunkier with a bit of bite.
Step 4:
Boil the pasta
Add 6 cups of water to a large pot and place it over high heat. When the water comes to a rolling boil, add ½ teaspoon of salt. Add 1/3 of a one pound box of fettuccine.
Fettuccine has a tendency to stick together more than most pasta shapes, so stir it either frequently or constantly to make sure the pasta cooks evenly and isn’t clumped together.
Cook the fettuccine for 11-13 minutes, continuing to stir regularly, until the pasta is cooked to your preferred doneness (you can pull out a piece and taste it to make sure). When the pasta is done, drain out the water, return the pasta to the pot, and cover it to stay warm (don’t put the pot back on the burner though, or the pasta could burn and stick to the pot).
Step 5:
Cook the mushrooms
Heat a medium-sized pan over medium heat. I used a non-stick, but any pan is fine. Once the pan is warm, add 1 TBS. salted butter. It should sizzle a bit and start to melt instantly. Spread the butter to cover the whole surface of the pan.
Add 4-5 rinsed, thinly sliced baby portobello mushrooms. Cook them until they’re soft and lightly browned, stirring occasionally (about one or two times during the cooking process). They should be done in about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
Step 6:
Crisp the Pancetta
Place a small frying pan over medium heat. I used a cast iron pan, which I feel like gives the best crisp, but other types of pans will work as well (temperature or time may need to be adjusted slightly, just keep a close eye on it). Before the pan has a chance to heat up, add 2 oz. diced pancetta.
Stirring every few minutes, cook the pancetta until it’s very crisped and brown. This should take 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it to see if you need to reduce or increase the heat. When it’s brown and crispy, remove from the pan and put it in a small bowl.
Step 7:
Assembly
The last ingredient to be prepared is the mozzarella cheese. Simply tear 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella into ½ to 1 inch pieces.
Finally, add the sauce, mushrooms, and mozzarella to the pasta and toss together with tongs.
If you want to arrange your pasta like I have it in the recipe photo, use a fork to make small twirls of pasta, then use tongs to hold the swirl on the fork until transported to the plate, then slowly slip the fork out.
Finally, sprinkle with the pancetta and, if desired, garnish with additional fresh basil, parmesan cheese, or lemon slices. Happy eating!
Lemon Pesto Pasta with Mozzarella, Pancetta, and Portobellos
Servings: 2-3 Time: 40-50 minutes Difficulty: 🧡🧡🧡🤍🤍
Ingredients:
FOR SAUCE
3 TBS. pine nuts
½ cup roughly torn fresh basil leaves, stems discarded
½ TBS. lemon zest (about ½ a lemon’s worth)
¼ cup + 1 TBS. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 TBS. lemon juice
¼ cup + 2 TBS. olive oil (may not need all the olive oil, depending on strength of blender)
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
½ TBS. minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
FOR PASTA
⅓ lb. fettuccine pasta
½ tsp. salt
4-5 baby portobello mushrooms, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 TBS. salted butter
2 oz. diced pancetta
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, roughly torn into ½ - 1 inch pieces
Directions:
Step 1: Dry Toast the Pine Nuts
Place a small pan over medium heat. Before it gets a chance to heat up, add the pine nuts. Heat until fragrant and a deep, toasty brown color, stirring occasionally (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat.
Step 2: Measure your Sauce Ingredients
Zest your lemon, grate your parmesan, and measure out all of your remaining sauce ingredients.
Step 3: Blend Sauce
Add all ingredients except olive oil to a blender or food processor. Add 1/8 cup olive oil to start, and begin to blend, adding oil as needed until it’s well blended to your desired texture. Less time for a chunkier pesto, more for a smoother sauce. Check periodically until you’re happy with it. Set aside.
Step 4: Boil Pasta
Boil 6 cups of water on high heat in a large pot. Add salt to boiling water. Add fettuccine. Stirring frequently (every 30 seconds or so) to avoid sticking together, cook for 11-13 minutes, until desired doneness. Taste a piece to ensure it’s the texture you like, then drain water and return the pasta to the pot. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
Step 5: Cook the Mushrooms
Heat a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. When the pan is warm, add salted butter. Once butter has melted, add the sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are soft and lightly browned, stirring occasionally (about 5 minutes). Cover to keep warm and set aside.
Step 6: Crisp the Pancetta
Place a small frying pan over medium heat. Before the pan has a chance to heat up, add the pancetta. Stirring occasionally, cook the pancetta until browned and very crispy, about 10-15 minutes (if pancetta seems to be browning quickly, turn heat to low about halfway through. Different types of pans will conduct the heat to the pancetta differently, so keep an eye on it). When pancetta is brown and crispy, remove from heat and set aside.
Step 7: Assemble Dish
When all components are done, add sauce, mushrooms, and mozzarella to the pasta. Toss with tongs. Split onto 2-3 plates for serving. Sprinkle with crispy pancetta. If desired, garnish with additional grated parmesan, lemon slices, and basil leaves. Eat up!