Pasta with pesto and squid

Name: Pasta with pesto and squid
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Spaghetti 11.3 oz; Calamari (squid) already cleaned 1.125 lbs; Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp; White wine 3 ½ tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Basil 2 cups; Grana Padano PDO cheese 1.5 oz; Pine nuts 3 tbsp; Extra virgin olive oil 6 tbsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Basil to taste

Difficulty: Average
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Average

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PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Lulù Gargari

Pasta with pesto and squid works because the pairing is less obvious than it looks. Basil pesto, creamy and herb-forward, cuts through the mild brininess of calamari in a way that tomato or butter sauces simply don't. The result lands somewhere between a seafood dinner and a summer pasta—fresh and aromatic rather than heavy, and different enough from the usual calamari preparations to feel genuinely new. Spaghetti is the right format here, giving the pesto somewhere to cling while the calamari stays evenly distributed throughout the bowl.

The calamari go into a hot pan and get a quick sear—speed matters, because overcooking is what turns squid rubbery. A splash of white wine goes in next, just enough to lift the fond and keep everything tender. Once the spaghetti is tossed with the pesto and the calamari folded through, the sauce coats each strand with that sharp, grassy richness that makes the whole dish feel lighter than it actually is. It holds up well as a weeknight meal or as part of a casual fish-focused spread, and it comes together without much effort once the calamari are prepped.

INGREDIENTS

for the pasta: Spaghetti 11.3 oz (320 g); Calamari (squid) 1.125 lbs (500 g) - already cleaned; Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp (30 g); White wine 3 ½ tbsp (50 g); Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

for the pesto: Basil 2 cups (50 g); Grana Padano PDO cheese 1.5 oz (40 g); Pine nuts 3 tbsp (25 g); Extra virgin olive oil 6 tbsp (80 g); Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

for garnish: Basil to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Pasta with pesto and squid

To prepare the pasta with pesto and squid, start with the pesto. Place the basil leaves, the pine nuts 1, the grated cheese 2, a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper 3 into the blender jar.

Then add the extra virgin olive oil 4. Blend with an immersion blender until you obtain a creamy, homogeneous consistency 5, taking care not to work the mixture for too long to avoid overheating it. Once ready, set the pesto aside. Put a pot full of water on the heat, salted to taste, which will be used to cook the pasta. Take the cleaned squid, cut the body into rings 6 and leave the tentacles whole. If the squid are too large you can cut the tentacles in half.

Pour 2 tbsp (about 1 oz / 30 g) extra virgin olive oil into a large skillet and heat it. Add the squid 7 and sauté them over high heat for 2–3 minutes, stirring during cooking 8. Season with salt and pepper, then deglaze with white wine 9 and let all the alcohol evaporate.

When the wine has evaporated 10, turn off the heat and leave the squid in the pan. As soon as the water reaches a boil, cook the pasta 11. Drain it al dente, remembering to set aside some of the cooking water: it will help make the sauce creamier. Transfer the drained pasta to the pan with the squid 12.

Add a grind of black pepper 13, a ladleful of the pasta cooking water 14 and toss everything quickly. Turn off the heat and add the pesto 15.

Mix once more, still off the heat 16, and plate. Garnish with a basil leaf 17 and serve your pasta with pesto and squid 18.

Storage

We recommend eating the pasta with pesto and squid as soon as it’s ready to best appreciate the texture of the squid and the aroma of the pesto. If there are leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator for 1 day in an airtight container. Freezing the dish already dressed is not recommended.

Tip

When you add the pesto to the pasta, make sure the heat is off: this will prevent subjecting the basil to excessive heat. Always keep a little of the pasta cooking water and add it only if necessary, a little at a time, to obtain a creamier sauce without making it too runny.

If you are not experienced in cleaning squid, follow our guide: "Cleaning Squid"

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.

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