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Tallarín Verde

Peru’s answer to pesto: spaghetti tangled in a creamy sauce of spinach, basil, and walnuts, served with a seared steak on top.

⏱ 15 minPrep time
🔥 25 minCook time
🍽 4Servings
🏷 DinnerCategory
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Tallarín Verde

Tallarín verde arrived with Italian immigrants and took a very Peruvian turn when cooks swapped basil for spinach and added evaporated milk, cheese, and walnuts. It is the weeknight dish of a million Lima homes, almost always crowned with a thin, juicy bistec.

Green noodles, golden steak, pure Lima nostalgia

The sauce is creamy, garlicky, and herbaceous, clinging to every strand of pasta without being heavy, while the toasted walnuts add a quiet crunch. The seared steak on top makes it a full meal — and the leftovers are legendary.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente, about 10 minutes; reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
  2. While the pasta cooks, blend the spinach, basil, walnuts, cheese, evaporated milk, garlic, oil, and a pinch of salt until completely smooth, scraping the blender down once.
  3. Return the drained pasta to the pot over low heat and toss with the green sauce, adding pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce coats every strand.
  4. Season the steaks with salt and pepper and sear in the olive oil over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare; rest for 5 minutes.
  5. Divide the green noodles among plates, lay a steak on top of each, and spoon over any resting juices.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 3 minutes until fragrant — it deepens the whole sauce. Leftover tallarín verde keeps 2 days refrigerated and reheats with a splash of milk.

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Recipe details

Prep15 min
Cook25 min
Servings4
CategoryDinner
PublishedAugust 17, 2026
Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →