Linguine with Arugula Pesto

# What you need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz linguine

02 - Salt for pasta water

→ Arugula Pesto

03 - 3 cups fresh arugula, loosely packed

04 - 2/3 cup cottage cheese

05 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

06 - 1 garlic clove

07 - 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

08 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

09 - 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

10 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ For Serving

11 - Extra arugula leaves for garnish

12 - Additional grated Parmesan for topping

13 - Freshly ground black pepper

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the linguine according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

02 - While the pasta cooks, combine arugula, cottage cheese, Parmesan, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper in a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as needed. Adjust seasoning to taste.

03 - Return the drained linguine to the pot. Add the arugula pesto and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce reaches desired consistency.

04 - Plate immediately, garnished with extra arugula, additional grated Parmesan, and freshly ground black pepper.

# Expert tips:

01 -

It comes together faster than ordering takeout and tastes like you spent all afternoon in the kitchen.
The cottage cheese makes it impossibly creamy without any nuts, so everyone at the table can dig in.
It uses ingredients you probably already have, which means fewer trips to the store and more time actually eating.

02 -

Don't skip the pasta water, it's the only thing that will make the pesto cling to the noodles instead of sliding off.
Blend the pesto until it's truly smooth, any chunks of garlic or arugula stems will throw off the silky texture.
Taste the pesto before you toss it with the pasta, because once it's mixed in it's harder to fix the seasoning.

03 -