Creamy Pistachio Pasta and Crispy Guanciale

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 us and are a fan of anything pistachio (ahem pistachio ice creampistachio cake the dreamiest pistachio cream and even pistachio-crusted chicken) then believe us when we 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 good silky-smooth sauce using heavy cream.

What's better is it's topped with crispy pieces of guanciale which is an absolute must in our opinion. Serve it with a glass of vino and you'll have one good 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.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Pistachios – make sure they are unroasted and unsalted.
• Guanciale – This is Italian cured pork cheek (good and usually heavily seasoned). If you can't find this you can use pancetta instead.
• Cheese – We use a mix of both Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano. You can opt to use both too or pick one.
• Garlic – why half a clove? You 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 – We find it 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 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 solid 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. 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 – do this on a medium to low heat. Add your guanciale to a cold pan then turn on the heat as it burns 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).

Pasta

Pasta e Patate (Pasta and Potatoes)

Pasta

Mushroom Spinach Pasta with Crispy Guanciale

Pasta

Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas)

Pasta

Pasta e Piselli (Pasta with Peas)

Ingredients

Makes 4 - 6 servings

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)

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. Remove the crispy Guanciale to a plate and pour any remaining fat into a separate ramekin to discard later.

5. Add your pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

6. 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.

7. Add the pistachio pesto to the cream and stir until fully combined. Add a little splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce.

8. 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.

Kitchen notes

1. Prep ahead make your pistachio pesto first and set it aside. You can even do this the day before.
2. Frying guanciale do this on a medium to low heat. Add your guanciale to a cold pan then turn on the heat as it burns easily and will turn bitter.
3. Sauce consistency adjust the consistency using pasta water to loosen it. It should be a thick but silky-smooth sauce.
4. 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).