Pasta alla Trapanese

By John, 25 April, 2026
Region
Italy
Sicily
Description
Fusilli alla Trapanese

This is a delicious pasta dish made with the bewitching pink Sicilian Pesto Trapanese, completely different from the green Ligurian pesto so familiar to American diners. The pesto from Trapani uses crushed almonds, tomatoes, and cheese, rather than the basil and pine nuts of the Genoese version.

Unlike northern pasta dishes that are often served with ravioli and other fresh egg pastas, the southern ones are more often served with dried pasta like the wonderful IGP-protected Pasta di Gragnano.

Yield
6 Servings
Preparation time
25 minutes
Cooking time
15 minutes
Total time
40 minutes
Ingredients
2 c Pesto Trapanese
1 lb Dried Long Pasta di Gragnano
Instructions
  1. If necessary, make the pesto, or thaw it if you had it in the freezer.
  2. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
  3. While the pasta cooks, warm the sauce in a heavy pan.
  4. Put most of the sauce in a large bowl, but reserve a little to go on top. 
  5. When the pasta is ready, reserve about a half-cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta and put it in the big bowl with the sauce.
  6. Add the reserved pasta water and toss it all together.
  7. Transfer the sauced pasta to a serving platter and top it with the remaining sauce.
  8. Serve hot with extra Pecorino Romano on the side.  
Source

Traditional