Flavors · Genoa

Trofie al pesto

Short, hand-rolled twisted pasta seasoned with pesto genovese: basil, garlic, pinoli, cheeses and olive oil crushed in a mortar. Genoa is the city of pesto, and trofie come from the neighboring coast.

Traditional dish from Genoa, Ligúria

Also known as: trofie al pesto genovese, trofie col pesto, trofiette al pesto

Updated November 2026

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Trofie al pesto — Genoa, Italy — Trofie al pesto

Trofie al pesto — Genoa, Italy

Pesto genovese is a raw sauce traditionally made in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle. It uses small-leaf basil, garlic, pinoli, coarse salt, grated cheeses—Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano and pecorino—and olive oil. Genoese basil has a protected designation of origin. Crushed, not whipped, the sauce stays bright green and textured.

Trofie are small dough pieces made from flour and water, rolled by hand on a board until they are elongated and twisted. They come from the Golfo Paradiso, the stretch of coast east of Genoa where Sori, Recco and Camogli are located, and spread throughout Liguria. The shape holds the sauce well. It is common to cook the pasta with diced potato and green beans, which are then mixed with the pesto.

The pesto recipe appears in writing in the 19th century in Genoese cookbooks. Since 2007 the Genoa Chamber of Commerce has promoted the World Pesto Genovese Championship with mortar, held at the Palazzo Ducale, where one hundred contestants prepare the sauce by hand. For the institution, the championship reaffirms the link between pesto, Genoa and Liguria.

Pesto also accompanies other Genoese pastas, such as trenette and testaroli, and the soup minestrone alla genovese.

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Where it comes from

Genoa , Ligúria
Pesto genovese is Genoa’s sauce, and trofie, a pasta from the neighboring coast, are the shape most associated with it.

Ingredients

Trofie made from flour and water; Genoese basil, garlic, pinoli, coarse salt, Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano, pecorino and olive oil in the pesto; potato and green beans optional.

How it is eaten

As a first course, with the pesto mixed into the drained pasta off the heat, without warming the sauce; sometimes with potato and green beans cooked together.

When it is eaten

All year; fresh basil is more abundant in spring and summer, from March to August.

Your questions

Questions about Trofie al pesto

What goes into pesto genovese?

Basil, garlic, pinoli, coarse salt, grated cheeses and olive oil, crushed in a mortar.

Where do trofie come from?

From the Golfo Paradiso, the stretch of coast east of Genoa that includes Sori, Recco and Camogli. Today they are made throughout Liguria.

Is pesto cooked?

No. It is a raw sauce, mixed into the drained pasta.

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