Smoked Almond Pesto Spaghetti

Smoked almonds lend their signature salty, smoky flavor to this unique weeknight pesto pasta. The sauce is reinforced with smoked paprika for extra depth and brightened with a generous amount of fresh, herbaceous parsley. Peas are added to the pasta during the last couple minutes of cooking; broccoli florets would also work nicely. The versatile sauce can be doubled and stored in the fridge for about 5 days. It’s great on roasted chicken, fried eggs or even potato salad.

Ingredients

• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper

• 1

  pound spaghetti

• 1 ½

  cups fresh or frozen peas

• ¾

  cup/4 ounces smoked almonds

• 2

  garlic cloves

• 1 ½

  packed cups/1½ ounces fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

• 1

  packed cup/1 ounce flat-leaf parsley leaves

• ½

  cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for garnish

• 1

  teaspoon smoked paprika

• ¾

  cup neutral oil, such as safflower or canola

• 2

  tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente, adding fresh peas during the last 2 minutes of cooking or frozen peas during the last minute. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain pasta and peas.
2. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine almonds and garlic, and pulse until finely chopped. Add basil, parsley, cheese and paprika. With the machine running, drizzle in oil until well blended and a thick sauce forms. Transfer pesto to a large bowl, stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
3. Add cooked pasta and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water to the bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to evenly coat pasta in the pesto, then season again as needed. (Add more pasta water if a thinner consistency is desired.)
4. Divide pasta among bowls and garnish with additional cheese and basil.