Busiate with pesto Trapanese is a staple dish in Trapani, Sicily, made with cherry tomatoes, basil, and toasted almonds! Being half the price of pesto Genovese, it is an affordable alternative made in less than 30 minutes.
If you love pesto, try some of our other favorite pesto meals: Pistachio Pesto Stuffed Chicken, Artichoke Pesto Pasta, or Kale Walnut Pesto Pasta.
TL;DR
- ✅Recipe Name: Busiate with Pesto Trapanese
- ⏲️Ready in: Under 30 minutes
- 👪Makes: 1 lb of pasta
- 📋Main ingredients: Busiate, cherry tomatoes, almonds, olive oil.
- ⭐Why You'll Love This Recipe: This is an affordable and easy-to-make Southern Italian pasta dish perfect for those looking for something to make in under 30 minutes.
Have a question about the recipe? Ask Ai!
Jump to:
Why This Recipe
- Trapanese pesto is made with less basil and almonds instead of pine nuts, making it half the cost of Genovese pesto or Pistachio Pesto for the same volume.
- You can easily make the pesto in advance.
- It freezes really well.
- Pesto trapanese with busiate can be made in less than 30 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight budget meal to pair with leftover Italian Chicken Cutlets or Cast Iron Boneless Pork Chops.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Tomatoes. I use cherry tomatoes because they're easy to find and go well with parmigiano. Traditionally, Piccadilly tomatoes are used, but they're difficult to find in America. I use cherry tomatoes in most of my classic Italian dishes, like Creamy Cherry Tomato Risotto.
- Pasta. Busiate is a corkscrew pasta, a little bit longer than rigatoni. They're made by wrapping semolina dough around a metal rod. They are great for really gathering up all the sauce within the nooks and crannies of the corkscrew shape. Substitute rotini or fusilli if you can't find busiate.
- Nuts. Traditionally, almonds are the nut of choice for this pesto, and they reduce the cost of the pesto. Sicily is known for its nuts, especially its pistachios. You can use blanched almonds or toasted almonds. Other nuts like pine nuts or pistachios will work, but they're more expensive.
*Please see the recipe card below for more information on ingredients.
Would you like to save this recipe?
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
How to Make Pesto Trapanese with Busiate
This Sicilian pesto comes together in just a couple of minutes. You can make it ahead of time or make it while your pasta is boiling. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add kosher salt. Add your pasta and cook as directed on the box.
Step 1: In a food processor, combine basil, garlic, salt, and almonds. Process until completely combined.
Step 2: Add in the cherry tomatoes and process while slowly pouring in the olive oil until processed.
Step 3: Pour in the parmigiano and combine.
Step 4: I like my trapanese pesto to look like the image above. It's creamy but still has some rough texture to it. Adjust the olive oil as necessary to achieve the desired texture.
Step 5: Drain the pasta and save ½ cup of pasta water. Combine the pasta water with the pesto. Then add the pesto and drained pasta to the same pot and combine well.
I use this pot while it's still hot to steam off some of the water in the cherry tomatoes and help the pasta develop a creamy texture.
Serve hot or cold with your favorite classic Italian dishes like Pistachio Crusted Baked Sea Bass or Restaurant-Style Chicken Saltimbocca.
Pro-tips
- Slowly pour the olive oil into the processor so you can see how much you need. It's about a ⅓ cup, but you want the pesto to reach a mostly smooth but slightly rough texture.
- Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil. With dishes that are not "cooked" like this, the simple flavors are really important to get the best out of the dish.
- Use the same hot pot you used to boil the pasta! This is important to get the creamiest pasta!
FAQs about Trapanese Pesto
There are so many dishes that you can substitute Trapanese pesto for regular or Genovese pesto. It can be as easy as serving this on ricotta bruschetta or with Italian chicken cutlets. I'd also substitute this with some of our recipes, like our Creamy Pesto Shrimp Pasta, Italian Red Potato Salad (No Mayo), or OG Italian Pasta Salad.
Genovese pesto is the green pesto you see all the time. It has a ton of basil, and it uses pine nuts. Trapanese pesto has cherry tomatoes, and it uses almonds instead of pine nuts.
Pesto trapanese is creamy but not completely smooth. It is rustic and textured.
Our Favorite Simple Italian Staples
Please leave a comment and star rating below in the recipe card! I love to hear what you think of our recipes. Feel free to tag us on Instagram @vindelgiudice.
Busiate Pasta with Trapanese Pesto
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 large pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb busiate pasta
- 1.5 cups cherry peppers
- 15 basil leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup blanched or toasted almonds
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add kosher salt. Add your pasta and cook as directed on the bag.
- In a food processor, combine basil, garlic, salt, and almonds. Process until completely combined. Add in the cherry tomatoes and process while slowly pouring in the olive oil until combined and smooth. Add the parmigiano and combine.
- Drain the pasta and save ½ cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta water to the pesto. Combine the pasta and the pesto. Stir well until the pasta develops a creamy texture.
Video
Notes
- Slowly pour the olive oil into the processor so you can see how much you need. It's about a ⅓ cup, but you want the pesto to reach a mostly smooth but slightly rough texture.
- Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil. With dishes that are not "cooked" like this, the simple flavors are really important to get the best out of the dish.
- Use the same hot pot you used to boil the pasta! This is important to get the creamiest pasta!
Shahar says
Great recipe! It came out very close to what we ate on our trip to Sicily! Will definitely make it again
Vinny says
This is a classic Sicilian pasta dish made with a trapanese pesto which is not as common in the US. Definitely give it a shot because I guarantee you'll love it.