Testaroli with Pesto – How to Make Testaroli, Also Known as Italian Crepes

 

When we think of Italian cuisine, pasta is often the star of the show. But long before spaghetti twirled its way onto our plates, there was Testaroli—a humble, ancient dish with roots that stretch back to the Etruscans and Romans. Often considered one of the oldest forms of pasta, Testaroli is a fascinating hybrid: part pancake, part pasta, and entirely delicious.

Made from just a simple batter of flour, water, and salt, Testaroli is cooked like a crêpe on a hot flat surface (traditionally a testo, or cast-iron pan, which gives the dish its name). After it’s cooked, the pancake is sliced into diamonds or strips, briefly plunged into hot water, and then dressed—typically with pesto, olive oil, or grated cheese.

In this post, we’ll explore how you can make this rustic, satisfying dish in your own kitchen. Whether you’re a pasta lover or just curious about regional Italian cooking, Testaroli offers a flavorful link to the culinary past—and a surprisingly easy way to bring history to your table.

 

Testaroli with Pesto 

Serves 3 – 4

10 oz (about 2 cups) all purpose flour
20 oz (about 2 1/2 cups) water
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
canola or vegetable oil
Pesto Sauce – I used about 3/4 of a cup to serve 3
Shredded Parmesan cheese for garnish

How to Make Testaroli

Preheat a cast iron pan in the oven to 525°
While the pan is heating make the batter

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Slowly add the water, a little at a time until you have a smooth batter with no lumps.

Let sit for about 20 minutes to rest.
Remove the pan from the oven and set over medium high heat.
Add a small amount of oil to the pan and spread to coat

Pour/ladle a thin coat of the batter into the pan to cover the bottom.
Let cook until small bubbles form. About 2 – 3 minutes
Flip the crepe and let cook on the over side to crisp up

Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool.
Repeat until all the batter is used, re-oiling when necessary.
Do not pile the crepes on top of one another.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil

While the water is heating cut the crepes; first into strips, then into diamonds.

When the water reaches a full, rolling boil add the crepe pieces and then turn off the heat.

Immediately drain the pot into a strainer.

Add the testaroli to a bowl with half of the pesto in the bottom

Gently toss the pasta adding the additional pesto until coated.

Serve with shredded Parmesan

How Was the Testaroli?

OH.MY.WORD.

I can’t believe I had never heard of this dish before—and it definitely won’t be the last time I make it. While the base—whether you call it a crepe, pasta, or pancake—is tasty on its own, it’s really the sauce that steals the show. That’s what brings the whole dish to life.

The pesto I used for this meal I had made the day before. The recipe? That’s a tough one – I don’t measure when I make pesto. I just use what I have on hand with basil and go from there. Sorry… What I don’t use in the first week I freeze in ice cube trays so I have it for later.

I did manage to work a pesto recipe up but by all means feel free to improvise. Honestly, I probably don’t make pesto the same way twice.

How Does the Testaroli Keep?

I can also let you know that the Testaroli holds over well for leftovers mixed with the pesto. The crepes can be kept wrapped, then cut and boiled a couple of days later and they taste freshly made. I haven’t tried freezing them so I can’t, at least at this point, report on that.

What I do know is that I will be trying these delicious crepes with fresh tomato sauce when I have tomatoes and with a variation on eggplant pesto when the eggplants come in. They are a delightful base for different sauces.