Soba Noodles w/ Parsley Pesto
Enjoy pesto? Try this parsley pesto recipe instead of traditional basil. It’s wonderful and fragrant on noodles or pasta.
Parsley Pesto Recipe with Soba Noodles
Margaret Roach walked away, and not for her morning hit of caffeine, but from a highly success career as Editorial Director in bustling New York City and traded it all for peace and solitude in the rural town of 300. She took the chance, and found the courage to take care of herself first and left it all for more time digging in the dirt, working in the garden and finding the tranquility that she craved so long for.
A Way to Garden Book
Margaret is a renaissance woman, an artist, a crafter, and gardener who has found her peace by doing everything that she loves and shares it on her New York Times award winning garden blog, A Way To Garden.
This book is the perfect feast for anyone looking to find inspiration and focus back in life. This parsley pesto recipe is inspired by Margaret, from one of her many valuable posts on cooking from the garden. Parsley is often overlooked when it comes to pesto. And reading her post was a such a refreshing change from basil pesto.
If you love pesto, you will love this parsley pesto recipe. It’s so simple, fresh and full of flavor, you won’t miss the basil at all. You can use any type of noodle or pasta that you prefer, but our choice was buckwheat soba noodles. With Spring approaching, it felt so appropriate to prepare the parsley pesto with something delicate and healthy to bring in the new, revitalizing weather.
Soba with Parsley Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz. dried Soba Noodles
- 3/4 cup roughly chopped Italian Parsley (flat leaf parsley)
- 2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts , toasted *see head note
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 Tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons Grape Seed Oil , or other neutral tasting oil
Instructions
- Cook soba: Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Add soba noodles, stir as they soften, and bring water back up to a simmer (not a boil). Simmer for 6-7 minutes or according to package directions. Noodles should still have a slight firmness, and not be mushy.
- Strain soba and rinse well using the correct water temperature. *If serving warm, rinse under hot water, if serving soba at room temperature, rinse under cold water.
- While soba cooks, make parsley sauce. Combine parsley, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, sesame oil, soy sauce, and grape seed oil in a food processor (preferably in smaller bowl if possible) and blend ingredients together until smooth.
- Toss noodles with sauce and serve.
Nutrition Information per Serving
We have a traditional and easy basil pesto recipe here if you have an abundance of garden basil. It’s a great staple to have in the fridge. Try this pesto on our heirloom tomato tart recipe.
Could I substitute curly parsley for italian parsley?
Sure. They won’t be as flavorful, but it will work in a pinch.
ooo yum, I’ve been looking for something to make with my soba noodles!
I’ve been looking for a good/easy soba recipe! This may just be the one ๐
Lovely blog. I relate to this post so well… I left the law office last spring and have started working on an organic vegetable farm in Colorado. It feels amazing. I will never return to an office job… Cheers to Margaret!
This is the first time I’ve commented but I regularly frequent your blog. Love this post.
I happened to have seen her segment on Martha this last week and would love to have a chance to read her book. I do not even try to compare myself to her huge walkaway but recently making a pledge to just shutting the computer off on Friday night and not turning it on again until Monday morning was extremely hard for me, but my life did change immensely for the better. I actually started a vegetable garden last year and plan on expanding it this year.
I love the idea of getting up from my desk and walking away from it all. Kudos to Margaret for having the guts to do it!
The pesto looks great; your pictures are awesome!
Love the recipe! I just saw Margaret Roach on Martha Stewart. She is soooo inspirational! I’d love a copy of her new book…also love your blog!!!!
I am new to this site but I love what I have seen so far!