Giada De Laurentiis’ Ziti with Roasted Garlic and Arugula Pesto Recipe

Ziti with Roasted Garlic and Arugula Pesto gets its deep, rich flavor from mellow roasted garlic. Courtesy Ray Kachatorian Facebook Twitter LinkedIn

I’ve never loved the sharp bite of raw garlic you get with most pestos; when you substitute mellow roasted garlic for raw, you can use a lot more — a whole head in this instance — for a

deep, rich flavor and none of the sharpness. Here, I’ve paired the garlic with arugula and pistachios for a dreamy green sauce that contrasts beautifully with simple pan-roasted tomatoes. 

—Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 head garlic

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 pound ziti corti or other short pasta 

3 cups baby arugula

¼ cup salted roasted pistachios, plus more for garnish

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 pint cherry tomatoes

¼ teaspoon flaky salt (or use additional kosher salt)

Grated zest of 1 small lemon, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475℉. 

Cut the garlic head in half horizontally and place on a sheet of foil. Drizzle the cut surfaces with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the kosher salt. Fold the foil up

and around the garlic, enclosing it completely. Place on a baking sheet and roast until very soft, about 20 minutes. 

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and return to

the pasta pot. 

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the roasted garlic, arugula, pistachios, the remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt and the pepper. Process until coarsely ground. With the motor running,

stream in ½ cup oil until smooth. Add the cheese and lemon juice and pulse two or three times to combine. Set the arugula pesto aside. 

In a medium skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. (See Hint.) Add the tomatoes and pan-roast, shaking every few minutes until they start to blister, about 5

minutes. Sprinkle with flaky salt. 

Add the arugula pesto and about ½ cup of the pasta water to the pasta pot. Toss over medium-high heat until the pasta is well sauced and warmed through. 

Serve topped with the tomatoes, a few chopped pistachios and a bit of lemon zest. 

Hint: If you prefer, you can roast the tomatoes on the sheet pan along with the garlic, cooking them for about 6 minutes or until they are just starting to collapse. 

Excerpted from Super-Italian by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2025 by Giada De Laurentiis. Used by permission of Rodale Books, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random

House LLC, New York. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. 

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