Thick ribbons of bucatini tangled through a vibrant basil, spinach and walnut pesto, with golden crispy bacon, sweet peas and just-wilted spinach — a weeknight pasta with a little Sunday-lunch soul, finished in the Anolon Everlast Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel frypan.
Serves 4
Ingredients
The Walnut Pesto:
-
2 cups firmly packed basil leaves
-
1 cup baby spinach leaves
-
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
-
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan
-
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
-
125ml (1/2 cup) extra virgin olive oil
-
Squeeze of lemon juice, plus salt to taste
The Pasta:
-
400g bucatini (or spaghetti)
-
200g shortcut bacon, diced
-
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
-
1 cup frozen peas
-
60g baby spinach, extra
-
Shaved parmesan and cracked black pepper, to serve
Instructions
-
Toast the Walnuts: Set the Anolon Everlast Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel frypan over medium heat and toast the walnuts, tossing often, for 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Tip out and cool slightly.
-
Make the Pesto: Blitz the basil, spinach, toasted walnuts, parmesan and garlic to a coarse paste, then stream in the olive oil until you have a spoonable pesto. Season with lemon juice and salt — it should taste bright and bold.
-
Cook the Bucatini: Cook the bucatini in a large saucepan of well-salted boiling water until just al dente, throwing the peas in for the final 2 minutes. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.
-
Crisp the Bacon: Meanwhile, cook the bacon in the frypan over medium-high heat for 5–6 minutes until golden and crisp, adding the sliced garlic for the last minute until it turns into little golden chips.
-
Bring It Together: Reduce the heat to low and add the drained bucatini and peas to the frypan. Remove from the heat, then toss through the pesto and enough of the reserved pasta water to make a glossy sauce that clings to every strand. Fold through the extra spinach and let it wilt in the residual heat.
-
Serve: Twirl into bowls and finish with shaved parmesan, cracked black pepper and a few small basil leaves.
Tip: Always stir the pesto through off the heat — it stays bright green and fresh-tasting instead of cooking to a dull olive.
Notes
Pan tips for the Anolon Everlast Tri-Ply Clad Stainless Steel frypan: The tri-ply clad construction spreads heat evenly from edge to edge, so the walnuts toast and the bacon crisps without hot spots — and the wide surface then acts as the tossing bowl so every strand gets coated. The pasta water plus pesto emulsifies right in the pan for a silky, restaurant-style finish, and it’s suited to all stovetops, including induction.
Make it ahead: The pesto keeps in the fridge for up to a week with a thin layer of olive oil over the top, or freeze it in ice cube trays for instant weeknight dinners — two cubes per serve.
Swap-ins: Pancetta or speck work beautifully in place of bacon, and cashews or almonds can stand in for the walnuts. For a vegetarian version, skip the bacon and pan-fry torn sourdough chunks in olive oil for a crouton crunch instead.
