Lemon Balm Pesto Pasta

Why This Lemon Balm Pesto Pasta Works

In the food processor, the lemon balm, Parmesan, pine nuts, and garlic get chopped so small that they almost melt into each other. As the olive oil streams in, it slides between all those tiny bits and holds them together, so the pesto becomes smooth and loose instead of chunky and dry. The cheese and nuts give the pesto some body, so it clings instead of sliding off everything.

While the pasta boils, starch from the pasta moves into the water. A little of that starchy water goes in with the pesto and pasta, and that’s when things really change. The warm pasta softens the pesto, the cheese starts to loosen, and the starch in the water makes the oily pesto turn into more of a silky coating. Instead of oil pooling at the bottom of the bowl, it stays wrapped around each piece of pasta. The squeeze of lemon at the end wakes up the lemon balm and keeps the whole dish from feeling heavy.

Mistakes To Avoid

Letting the lemon balm leaves sit wet after washing can water down the pesto. The extra moisture makes the mixture loose and sloshy instead of creamy, so it slides off the pasta and pools at the bottom of the bowl.

Running the food processor too long turns the pesto into a thick paste. The heat from the blades can make the herbs dull in color and the nuts pasty, so the sauce feels heavy and sticky instead of light and spoonable.

Adding all the olive oil at once instead of streaming it in slowly often leads to a greasy sauce. The ingredients don’t blend evenly, so some bites are oily while other parts stay dry and clumpy.

Skipping the reserved pasta water means the pesto doesn’t cling properly. Without that starchy liquid, the sauce stays separate from the noodles, leaving dry spots and a pile of pesto stuck at the bottom.

Squeezing in the lemon juice too early and then blending it a lot can make the pesto taste harsh and thin it out. The acid breaks down the herbs more, so the color turns dull and the texture gets runny.