The Only Garlic Scape Pesto Pasta Recipe You Need!

Not to be dramatic, but this recipe changed me. It is so amazing that I now countdown to garlic scape season like it’s Christmas.

I eat seasonal vegetables because that is when they taste the best. Preservation practices give us a taste of the growing season, but you will not catch me eating a fresh tomato in February here in Northern Illinois. Why? Because, they probably were picked green, traveled hundreds of miles to get to my grocery store and will most likely taste like a watered-down imitation of a tomato. Eating in season leads me to appreciating food and looking forward to preparing it. That brings me to garlic scape pesto pasta.

This is the recipe that I dream of eating when I see the first signs of garlic growing. Late February or early March, thin green spikes poke out of the soil, a reassuring sight I will have garlic scapes to harvest in June and beautiful bulbs in July.

What are garlic scapes?

Little red squiggly lines are under the word “scapes” as I type this. WordPress doesn’t even know what they are. Garlic scapes emerge early to late June on hard neck varieties of garlic. Hard neck garlic is best for colder climates, soft neck grows well in warmer climates. Downside of hard neck garlic is that they only store for 3-4 months, soft neck will hold up for 6-12 months. Scapes will open and flower if left attached. Growers remove them so the plant’s energy will go down to the bulb.

Where can I find garlic scapes?

Garlic scapes will be hard to find at the grocery store. I have actually never seen them at the store. The farmers market will have them in early June to late June (Late spring, early summer). Find a famers market HERE.

What to do with garlic scapes?

Garlic scapes are great grilled and chopped up with other veggies or on pizza. But my absolute favorite garlic scape recipe is pesto pasta.

Tips when preparing:

Grilling scapes before blitzing them with the other pesto ingredients gives them a deeper, smokey and sweet flavor. You can also use a broiler, grill pan or open flame on the stove.

Use good olive oil. Taste matters! I like using first cold pressed olive oil from a single source.

Make more than you need! Jars of pesto will store well for months in the freezer. I like using 4oz Ball Canning jars.