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Tagliatelle pasta tossed in a creamy pistachio sauce made with garlic, basil, Pecorino Romano and topped with salty, crispy guanciale. This beautiful and comforting dish is so easy to make and ready in under 30 minutes.
If you’re like me and are a fan of anything pistachio (ahem, pistachio ice cream, pistachio cake, the dreamiest pistachio cream, and even pistachio-crusted chicken) then believe me when I say that you will LOVE this!
It’s made with our pistachio pesto which consists of basil, garlic, Pecorino Romano and olive oil and is made into a glorious and addictively delicious silky-smooth sauce using heavy cream.
What’s better is it’s topped with crispy pieces of guanciale which is an absolute must in my opinion. Serve it with a glass of vino and you’ll have one incredible meal indeed.
See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, and tips. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below.
Ingredients
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Pin ItIngredient notes and substitutions
- Pistachios – make sure they are unroasted and unsalted.
- Guanciale – This is Italian cured pork cheek (very delicious and usually heavily seasoned). If you can’t find this you can use pancetta instead.
- Cheese – I use a mix of both Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano. You can opt to use both too or just pick one.
- Garlic – why just half a clove? You just want a hint of garlic flavour and not that overpowering raw taste.
- Pasta – You can use any pasta shape you like for this, we used Tagliatelle.
Visual walk-through of the recipe
This is a visual walk-through of each step. The full printable recipe and ingredient amounts are below.
- Make the pesto – I find it really easy to add everything to a bowl and use an immersion blender to blitz it until smooth. Don’t worry if there are some larger chunks of pistachio (photos 1 and 2).
- Fry guanciale – add the guanciale to a cold pan then turn it on to a medium-low heat. Fry until just golden brown then remove with a slotted spoon. Pour all of the remaining fat into a ramekin then discard once solidified (photos 3 and 4).
- Boil pasta – add you pasta to your boiling salted water. Remember to check the timing of your pasta. Usually, tagliatelle takes around 5 minutes which is the perfect amount of time to make the sauce.
- Make the cream sauce – Add the heavy cream to the same pan you cooked the guanciale in (don’t wipe it clean first). Once the cream is boiling and thickened turn off the heat and the parmesan followed by the pesto. Mix it until fully incorporated (photos 5-7).
- Adjust consistency – at this point, you can adjust the sauce consistency (you’ll likely need to loosen it) using a little pasta water. Just add a splash of water at a time until it’s a silky, thick sauce (photo 8).
- Add pasta to sauce – using tongs transfer the cooked pasta to the sauce, toss to coat in all its goodness then serve in bowls topped with crispy guanciale (photos 9 and 10).
Recipe tips
- Prep ahead – make your pistachio pesto first and set it aside. You can even do this the day before.
- Frying guanciale – make sure to do this on a medium to low heat. Add your guanciale to a cold pan then turn on the heat as it burns very easily and will turn bitter.
- Sauce consistency – adjust the consistency using pasta water to loosen it. It should be a thick but silky-smooth sauce.
- Storage and leftovers – like most cream-based sauces this will thicken quite a bit as it cools. It’s best eaten immediately although can be stored in the fridge and reheated (loosen the sauce with a little water).
More easy and comforting pasta recipes
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Step By Step Photos Above
Most of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
Creamy Pistachio Pasta with Crispy Guanciale
Ingredients
For the pistachio pesto
- ½ cup (70g) unsalted unroasted pistachios
- 1 cup (10g) fresh basil
- 1/2 clove garlic
- ½ cup (30g) Pecorino Romano, , finely grated
- 4-5 tablespoons (50ml extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
Rest of the ingredients
- 14 oz (400g) pasta, we used tagliatelle
- 3.5 oz (100g) Guanciale, can also use pancetta
- 1 cup (225ml) heavy cream
- 1/3 cup (25g) Parmigiano Reggiano, , finely grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.
- Meanwhile, put all ingredients for the pesto in a bowl and blitz to a smooth paste using an immersion blender. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and set aside.
- Trim the tough skin and grainy seasoning from the Guanciale then cut it into strips. Using a large pan, fry the guanciale until golden and crispy. Do this on a medium-low heat and don’t let it burn or it’ll turn bitter.
- Remove the crispy Guanciale to a plate and pour any remaining fat into a separate ramekin to discard later.
- Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.
- Meanwhile, add the cream to the same pan you cooked the guanciale in and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat right down and add the Parmigiano Reggiano and pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until melted then turn off the heat.
- Add the pistachio pesto to the cream and stir until fully combined. Add a little splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- When your pasta is ready add it to the pan and toss in the sauce until completely coated. Serve in bowl topped with the crispy guanciale.
Notes
- Prep ahead – make your pistachio pesto first and set it aside. You can even do this the day before.
- Frying guanciale – make sure to do this on a medium to low heat. Add your guanciale to a cold pan then turn on the heat as it burns very easily and will turn bitter.
- Sauce consistency – adjust the consistency using pasta water to loosen it. It should be a thick but silky-smooth sauce.
- Storage and leftovers – like most cream-based sauces this will thicken quite a bit as it cools. It’s best eaten immediately although can be stored in the fridge and reheated (loosen the sauce with a little water).
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
