Smoked Almond Pesto Spaghetti Recipe (2024)

As I had all the ingredients to hand when I saw this new recipe, I decided to try it out. The verdict? Really good! The smokiness of the almonds and paprika is evident but subtle and not at all overwhelming and the large quantities of basil and parsley pack a nice punch. Super quick and easy to prepare too. My only suggestion for improvement would be to add a half teaspoon of dried chili flakes to give it a little spiciness, which I will add next time. Definitely a keeper!

Any grocery store - look for Blue Diamond Smokehouse almonds in the nuts section. By the way they are delicious on salads so get a large bag!

So the obvious question.... can one just use non-smoked almonds? Where the heck am I supposed to find those.

I've made this before and using smoked almonds is destructive to the delicate taste of a good homemade pesto.I now use plain almonds or pistachios, plain paprika and lime juice.Much better flavor blending.

Trader Joe's carries smoked almonds that are (almost) reasonably priced and are excellent. I use them in salads all the time.

Smoked paprika is a super power in your kitchen. Adds a fantastic smokey flavor, you'll find yourself using it all the time.

The parsley is here to add a green, bitter flavor to the pesto. Cilantro is probably too floral for that role (though it might be excellent, it is closer to the basil in role than the parsley). I would look for other neutral bitter greens. Perhaps fresh chervil, dandelion greens, or endive, or even spinach or arugula.

There are a number of on-line sources for nuts, snacks, whole grains and legumes, and cooking basics. One I have used recently is nuts.com and they absolutely have smoked and other flavored almonds.

This was fantastic. As per comments, I used the Blue Diamond smokehouse almonds and followed the recipe exactly until the lemon juice. I only used 2 tsp of lemon juice to finish and I’m glad that’s all I used. I needed almost all the pasta water to loosen the sauce. My dinner guests had high praise. Definitely will make again!

I would guess the recipe will work with Blue Diamond smoked almonds - readily available in most grocery and many big box warehouse stores.

Used regular salted almonds.Substituted kale for the parsleyUsed Wholefoods precooked salmon (frozen)This was mind blowing. The flavors were bold. A great recipe for entertaining guests Wow

Can someone answer the question, why does it say 3/4 cup, 4 ounces smoked almonds? What do I use 3/4 cup, or 4 ounces? Same for basil leaves it says 1 1/2cups, 1.5 ounces. Which one is it?

I’ve made versions of this using both smoked & regular roasted/salted almonds on different occasions, usually combining it with sautéed red peppers. While I agree that the smoked almonds can be assertive & impact the overall flavor, it’s a tasty variant, if not traditional. I learned to make pesto from our immigrant Italian babysitter, who used no nuts & way more garlic than I’ve ever seen in any recipe, Parmesan always on top,never blended in. That was her tradition.

This an inferior recipe to traditional basal. The parsley and the smoked almonds destroyed the crisp flavor of the basil. The peas further mask the basal. I would stick to traditional pesto.

I eyeballed a single serving without basil during the winter. I used a little mint, mostly parsley and garlic. A generous amount of pecorino cheese, a little smoked paprika, some white wine vinegar, all served over spaghetti. Some Crémant to drink. It was delicious.

Delicious with a nice tin of sardines.

I added 1/4 tsp of hot smoked paprika, in addition to the teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika. A hint of a kick!

My wife LOVES this. No notes!

This was an excellent & unique way to prepare pasta! I made this exactly as noted with the exception of halving the recipe for two. The smoked almonds and paprika flavors came through nicely without being overpowering. The peas did get lost in the spaghetti, but I like spaghetti enough that I'll do without the peas rather than switching pasta. Thanks again, Ms. Chun.

I made the recipe pretty much as written with the exception of using bowtie pasta based on the comment of peas getting lost in the spaghetti noodles. It was a hit with my family and the peas didn't get lost. I was also pleased because I finally was able to use up the last of my 5 pound bag of almonds I bought during the pandemic for "just in case".

Fabulous recipe. I won't add comments about tastes, as others cover it. For next time I will use a small pasta like shells or farfalle. The peas don't stick to spaghetti, and the all end up at the bottom of the bowl.

Made this as written and it was one of the best thing I have ever eaten let alone made!

A simple weeknight dinner that the whole family enjoyed (& the 6-year-old enjoyed making). Was not as smoky or salt as I feared after I sampled the very smoky & salty almonds (from Trader Joe’s). I only had EVOO on hand, so used that despite the note to use a neutral oil. I did not find the EVOO to be too strong or altered by the food processor. Lovely dish!

Delicious! Forgot the peas, however.

So sorry, it doesn't work. Too heavy, too smokey and when mixed w. the pasta takes on a peculiar (not in a good way) and overwhelming heaviness. It lacks a brightness and smoked paprika on top of smoked almonds pushes it over the top. The neutral oil only adds to the heavy affect and may be the cause of an icky taste. Strangely, when we ate leftover pesto on crackers, was a bit more palatable. Was dying to make this, not a keeper. advise ditching paprika and EVOO instead of neutral oil.

Delicious! I used avocado oil for the neutral oil, and it worked well. My company enjoyed it as well. I will make this again