Tallarín Verde (Peruvian Pasta Pesto)

Tallarín Verde or Tallarines Verdes is a traditional Peruvian pasta dish served in any Peruvian restaurant or, you know, at any Peruvian grandma’s house. The restaurant and grandma’s house are the same thing anyway, right? It’s an easy and delicious weekday dinner recipe everyone in the family will love.

It differs from the Italian-style pesto because it contains the Peruvian queso fresco and evaporated milk. Adding queso fresco, milk, and baby spinach makes this pesto more budget-friendly than the traditional Italian pesto.

Olive oil, Parmesan, pine nuts, and basil in large quantities are prohibitively expensive in Latin America. Hence, they came up with a version that adds typical Peruvian ingredients to make up the bulk of the pesto. I love this pesto’s flavor so much and the better price tag is a great bonus.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Pasta – the definition of “tallarín” is: flat long flour pasta. So linguini or tagliatelle would essentially be the best suited but truly any form of pasta works here. To serve my kids, I always prefer farfalle or fusilli, much easier to eat.
• Onion – any onion will work. I like using shallots because they are small and 1 shallot typically gives me 1/4 cup chopped onion.
• Garlic – use fresh garlic or omit. Dried garlic is too bitter for this recipe.
• Baby spinach – baby spinach is a lot cheaper than basil and it’s nice and dark so the pesto gets a rich green color with it.
• Basil – fragrant basil tastes incredible in Tallarín Verde but cilantro works just as well and is delicious, too.
• Pecans – pecans and peanuts are the cheapest nuts in Latin America, hence you’ll find them in many recipes. Any nut works of course but to keep it authentic use pecans.
• Cheese – a 50/50 mix of queso fresco (fresh cheese) and Parmesan are used in the original recipe. Queso fresco is kind of like feta cheese but made of cow’s milk. It’s not as strong as sheep or goat milk feta cheese. Another great alternative is queso panela which is easier to find in North American grocery stores.
• Olive Oil – the original recipe calls for olive oil but flavorless oils work as well, they let the other ingredients shine more and the pesto becomes overall less bitter with flavorless oil.
• Milk – the original recipe calls for evaporated milk and I almost always use that. However, I’ve made it with regular full-fat cow’s milk before and the difference is hardly noticeable.

How To Make Tallarín Verde

1. Bring water to a boil and cook your pasta as instructed on the package. I like prepping the pesto while my water comes to a boil. I have an electric stove so it takes a while.
2. Sauté chopped onion and garlic in a little olive oil for a few minutes, then add baby spinach and half of the basil to the pan. Sauté until wilted. This gives the pesto a super rich green color and great flavor.
3. Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender. A food processor can work but a blender is better. Even an immersion blender can work. The important thing here is to achieve a super smooth green sauce that is thick but pourable. If it’s not pourable add a little extra milk. If you used already grated Parmesan instead of freshly grated you could need extra milk because the Parmesan is drier.
4. Mix the tallarines verdes in a large pan and add a splash of pasta water if you notice the sauce is too thick. Swoosh it all around until the pasta is all covered in sauce. Then serve in a shallow bowl.

What To Serve With Tallarín Verde

Most restaurants will serve this with a piece of steak or some chicken. I personally love serving it with a fried egg on top though. Much faster, easier, and just as if not more delicious!

This recipe’s fat content is on the higher side. Make sure you nutritionally balance your day’s meals by having a low-fat, high-protein breakfast and/or lunch. This Chicken Quinoa Meal Prep Bowl for example would be a great meal for a day with tallarín verde as dinner. Remember, healthy nutrition is never a one-ingredient or one-meal approach. To learn more check out my Clean Eating For Beginners Guide.

More Peruvian Recipes You Will Like

• Salsa Criolla – a typical Peruvian salsa to add on top of pretty much anything and everything. It transforms any dish into an absolute delight!
• Pollo A La Brasa – traditional Peruvian recipe for marinated, crispy-skinned roasted chicken, Pollo a la Brasa, is a true flavor explosion! This actually would go amazing with your tallarines verdes!
• Ají Verde – A truly magical sauce that goes well with any grain bowl or grilled goods, such as steak, grilled veggies, or pollo a la brasa (Peruvian grilled chicken).
• Seco de Carne – a typical Peruvian dish but many other countries in South and Central America have adopted their versions. It’s a cilantro beef stew with a deep flavor. 
• Peruvian-Style Fish – Peruvian-style mahi mahi recipe, so good you’ll want to make it over and over again just because of the sauce!

How to Store and Can This Be Frozen

To store, add to an airtight container and keep in the fridge. It can be stored for up to 4 days.

To freeze, add to a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, add to the fridge 12 before planning to eat.

To reheat, simply add to the microwave of add to a pan and sauté constantly stirring.