Name: Peruvian Pesto (Tallarines Verdes)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 - 3 medium garlic cloves; 3 cups packed basil leaves; 1 teaspoon Kosher salt - or to taste; ½ teaspoon pepper; 4 ounces feta cheese; 1 pound spaghetti; Parmesan cheese (optional, for serving)

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Peruvian Pesto (Tallarines Verdes), is a velvety and flavorful pesto sauce tossed with pasta to create a quick and tasty meal. Perfect on its own or served as a side. The sauce on its own is good enough to eat by the spoonfuls and can be used to add flavor to pizza, mayo, or dips.

Three rounds of pasta covered in Peruvian pesto on a white plate.

What differentiates this from the Italian version? This version is made with basil, oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and feta. Feta cheese is used rather than Parmesan or Romano. Also, there are no nuts in this pesto.

Ingredients for Peruvian Pesto (Tallarines Verdes)

This is so simple to make and we make it in a blender. Unlike most pestos, which are prepared in a food processor, this one is made velvety smooth from blending. You won't see bits of basil leaves. What you'll get is a beautiful green sauce that's loaded with flavor.

Quickly rinsing the basil leaves in hot water slightly wilts the greens and brings out the aroma of the basil. Drain and shake them before adding to the blender.

Pour the olive oil into the blender then add the garlic cloves. I like it garlicky so I use three or four medium cloves.

Add the basil leaves, salt, pepper, and feta. Blend until smooth and velvety.

If you have a Vitamix blender like I do, here’s a trick to get all that delicious Peruvian pesto out. Pour all the sauce out over the pasta but don't cover all of it. Then, grab some of the pasta without the sauce with some tongs and place it in the blender without releasing your grip. Use the pasta to “wash” out the blender. The pesto sticks to the pasta and you get it all out. Nice!

You can also use this pesto sauce on pizza, pasta salads, add it to mayonnaise, or whatever you like. In Peru, pesto (Tallarines Verdes) is commonly served with steak but we eat it with anything.

Pasta covered in Peruvian pesto dotted with small chunks of feta.

Love Peruvian food? Try:

¡Al ataque! - a phrase my Mom says before every meal. It means to attack the food. And we did.

Life is too short for mediocre food.

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Peruvian Pesto (Tallarines Verdes)

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Peruvian Pesto (Tallarines Verdes) - a velvety and flavorful pesto sauce tossed with pasta to create a quick and tasty meal that's perfect on its own or served as a side.

Cook time is for pasta. Time may vary according to directions on package.

4-6 Servings as a main dish

6-8 Servings as a side

Course: Main Course, Pasta, Side

Cuisine: Italian, Peruvian

Keyword: Pasta, Peruvian, Pesto

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Servings: servings

Author: Natalie Gregory

Ingredients

¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 - 3 medium garlic cloves
3 cups packed basil leaves
1 teaspoon Kosher salt - or to taste
½ teaspoon pepper
4 ounces feta cheese
1 pound spaghetti
Parmesan cheese optional, for serving

Instructions

Cook spaghetti al dente according to package directions. I cook about a 1 - 2 minutes less what it states on the package then test by taking a bite of a strand.
While pasta is cooking, quickly, gently, rinse the basil leaves in warm/hot water and drain.
If using a blender, add oil, garlic, basil, salt, pepper, and feta. Blend until smooth, stopping as needed to push down ingredients.
To remove all the sauce out of blender, pour sauce out of blender onto pasta. Using tongs, grab some of the pasta and without releasing your grip, use the pasta to "wash" out the blender. I use a Vitamix which does not have a removeable bottom and this method works fantastically.
Toss sauce with pasta. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Serve alone as a meal or as a side with steak. ¡Al ataque!