Name: Tallarines Verde
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces spaghetti; 2 tablespoons chopped shallots; 3 roughly smashed garlic cloves; ⅔ cup toasted and roughly chopped walnuts; 2 cups packed baby spinach ((about 1.8 ounces)); 1 cup packed basil leaves ((about 0.8 ounces)); 4 ounces queso fresco (plus more for garnish); 1/2 cup evaporated milk; 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; pinch of salt; cracked black pepper to taste

Tallarines Verde in a bowl with queso fresco on top.

If you’re looking for a flavorful alternative to pesto pasta, Tallarines Verde is exactly what you need. This dish literally translates to “green noodles” and gives traditional pesto pasta a Peruvian spin, turning simple ingredients like basil, spinach, walnuts, queso fresco, and evaporated milk into a restaurant-quality, refreshingly light sauce.

While the emerald green hue is show-stopping all on its own, you’ll love the balance of rich creaminess and fresh herbs in every bite. It’s like a cross between comforting, simple Cacio e Pepe, rich, creamy Alfredo, and vibrant chimichurri. So when you can’t decide which feeling you’re after, you can’t go wrong with this Peruvian green spaghetti! The entire dish takes just 20 minutes to toss together, making it one of our favorite flavor-packed weekday dinners.

What is Tallarines Verde?

Tallarines Verde translates to “green noodles” and is a mashup of Peruvian and Italian cuisine. Playing on Italian pesto, this version relies on ingredients more common in Peru, replacing the bulk of basil for leafy spinach, swapping parmesan cheese for queso fresco, using less-expensive and ultra-flavorful walnuts, and giving it a creamier feel by blending everything up with milk.

Traditionally, the sauce is heated before adding it to the pasta, but our take has a more pesto-like vibe by leaving the ingredients raw before blending, then tossing with noodles.

How to Make Tallarines Verde?

Ingredients

Process

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add a handful of salt followed by spaghetti. Boil spaghetti until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and toss in a small amount of olive oil. Set aside until ready to use.
Place shallots, garlic, walnuts, spinach, basil, cheese, milk, and oil into a food processor.

A colander with cooked spaghetti noodles in it.

A blender with ingredients in it to make Tallarines Verde.

Blend until mixture is super smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour mixture into a large bowl and top with spaghetti.

Blended up green sauce in a blender to make Tallarines Verde.

A glass bowl with cooked spaghetti in it and a green sauce poured over top.

Toss together until fully combined. Adjust seasonings. Top with more crumbled cheese and serve.

Tallarines verde in a glass bowl all mixed together.

Tips for the BEST Tallarines Verde

For the best deep nutty flavor, toast your walnuts first! An easy way to toast them is to spread walnuts on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them in a preheated oven at 350°F for about five minutes, or until fragrant. Be sure to keep a close eye on them, as they can go from toasted to burnt in just a minute.
After cooking your pasta to al dente, be sure to drizzle and toss it with olive oil to keep the noodles from sticking to each other while you finish the sauce.
We know it’s tempting to just toss all the ingredients into the food processor and whirl away, but don’t do it! By processing the ingredients in intervals: breaking down the coarser walnuts, shallots, and garlic first, then the softer ingredients before drizzling in the liquid, you’ll get the smoothest sauce possible.
You can use other types of milk for this recipe, but evaporated milk gives it a light and creamy texture, which we absolutely love!

Tallarines Verde pasta dish in two bowls ready to be served.

Variations

To use what you have or make this recipe your own, try these substitutions and variations:

Swap the walnuts for other nuts, like pine nuts, for a more classic pesto, or use almonds, pecans, or cashews to switch up the flavor.
In addition to, or in place of, the spinach, you can use a variety of greens, including baby kale (for a heartier green), arugula (for a peppery flavor), more basil, or even some cilantro for a brighter spin.
Make this recipe dairy-free by skipping the cheese and replacing the evaporated milk with canned coconut milk or even oat or almond milk. If you want a cheesy flavor boost without dairy, a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast will add a pop of earthy cheesy flavor to the sauce.

An overhead shot of Tallarines Verde in a bowl with a fork in it.

What to Serve with Our Tallarines Verde?

To make this recipe a complete meal, serve it with:

A protein:

A side:

Tallarines Verde recipe in a bowl close up with some queso fresco sprinkled on top.

Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions

Storing

You can make the sauce up to two days ahead of time and store it in the refriferator until ready to use. Let it sit out at room temperaure while you’re making the pasta, then toss with hot, freshly drained noodles just before serving.

To store leftover Tallarines Verde, add the noodle and sauce mixture to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The pasta may absorb some of the moisture from the sauce, so this tends to be better when eaten within 24 hours, but still tastes delicious up to 3 days.

Freezing

You can freeze the sauce for up to 3 months before adding it to pasta. Just add it to an airtight container and freeze in portions. When ready to use, just let the sauce thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Reheating

To reheat the Tallarines Verde, add the pasta to a skillet over medium-low heat and gently heat, stirring as it warms, adding a splash of milk if needed to thin the mixture out.