Pistachio Pesto Pasta Salad

Mid-May. Mother's Day. The third since starting therapy, the fourth since starting cooking. The miyeokguk this year carries a new layer — the knowledge that next Mother's Day I might be making it with James beside me, the Taiwanese man who eats kimchi from the jar and whose mother makes beef noodle soup and who fits into the Korean-American-both-ness of my life like a puzzle piece I did not know was missing.

I brought miyeokguk to Bellevue. The mothers' soup for Karen. She ate it reverently, the way she has eaten it every year since I started the tradition, and said, "I look forward to this soup every year now." The looking forward is the tradition solidifying, the Korean food becoming Park family heritage, no longer an addition but a load-bearing element.

Kevin called from Portland. Bridge City is thriving — eighteen months open, consistently profitable, Kevin sober for three and a half years. He sounds settled in the permanent way, not the temporary way. Lisa is beside him. The coffee is excellent. The man is built.

I told Karen about James. "I am seeing someone," I said, over her pasta primavera. Karen put down her fork. "Tell us everything," she said. I told them: James Chen, Taiwanese-American, product manager at Microsoft. Makes beef noodle soup. Eats kimchi from the jar. Karen said, "When do we meet him?" I said, "Soon." She said, "I will make pot roast." Of course she will.

Karen’s pasta primavera has always been the other dish on the Mother’s Day table — the one I eat while she eats my miyeokguk, our quiet exchange of care across two food traditions. This pistachio pesto pasta salad is my version of that: bright and a little unexpected, the kind of thing you bring to a table where you’re about to say something that matters. I made it the week after, thinking about how I put down a spoonful and said “I am seeing someone,” and how Karen put down her fork. Some meals are just the backdrop to the moment — but the backdrop deserves to be beautiful.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 lb rotini or fusilli pasta
1 cup shelled roasted pistachios, divided
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup fresh arugula or baby spinach
1/2 cup thinly sliced sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed, drained)
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, for garnish

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, rinse briefly with cool water to stop cooking, and drizzle lightly with olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside to cool.
Make the pistachio pesto. Reserve 3 tablespoons of pistachios for garnish. Add the remaining pistachios, basil, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to a food processor. Pulse several times to combine. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until a smooth, spreadable pesto forms. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Combine. In a large mixing bowl, toss the cooled pasta with the pistachio pesto until every piece is coated. Add the cherry tomatoes, arugula, and sun-dried tomatoes, folding gently so the greens don’t fully wilt.
Rest and adjust. Let the salad sit for 10 minutes at room temperature so the flavors meld. If the pasta has absorbed the pesto and seems dry, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and toss again.
Serve. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter. Top with the reserved chopped pistachios, additional shaved Parmesan, and sliced fresh basil. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pistachio Pesto Pasta Salad — The Dish on Karen’s Table When Everything Changed