Ingredients
2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, plus more for garnish
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound trofie or other short, twisted pasta, such as fusilli
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Make the pesto: In a food processor, pulse parsley, garlic, red-pepper flakes, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon salt until coarsely chopped. With machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream, processing until blended.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.
Toss pasta with pesto and Parmesan, then with reserved pasta water. Grate more lemon zest over each serving, and season with pepper.
