Ramp Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
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- 2 tbsp kosher salt – for pasta water
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 6 ounces ramps – roots trimmed; leaves and bulbs separated
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese – finely grated
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp black pepper – freshly ground
Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the kosher salt.
2. Prep the ramps: Trim off the roots, separate the bulbs from the leaves, rinse well, pat dry, roughly chop the bulbs, and tear the leaves into pieces.
3. Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and a shade darker, 3–4 minutes; transfer to a plate to cool.
4. In the same skillet, warm 2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat and cook the chopped bulbs until translucent and tender, 2–3 minutes; remove from heat to cool slightly.
5. Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water until al dente, 8–10 minutes; reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
6. Make the pesto: In a food processor, combine the toasted nuts, the cooked bulbs with their oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano, black pepper, and lemon juice; pulse to a coarse paste. Add the leaves and process until finely chopped, then, with the machine running, stream in the remaining oil until the sauce is loose and bright green.
7. Toss the pasta with the pesto in the pot over low heat, adding 0.5–1 cup reserved cooking water until the sauce emulsifies and coats the strands, 1–2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Ramp pesto pasta is a springtime pasta that channels the garlicky bite of wild leeks into a silky, herbaceous sauce. The pesto is vivid green, nutty from toasted walnuts, and savory with Parmigiano-Reggiano, clinging to al dente strands with a light, glossy sheen. Bright lemon lifts the richness, while the natural pungency of the bulbs and the tender leaves deliver a uniquely wild, woodsy aroma.
Ramps, also called wild leeks, are a North American spring delicacy long prized in Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic, and Great Lakes cooking. Folding them into pesto borrows an Italian technique and marries it to a regional ingredient, a combination popularized in contemporary American kitchens as foraging and farmers’ market cooking grew. The dish celebrates seasonality: a fleeting harvest transformed into a simple pasta that showcases ramps’ flavor with minimal embellishment.