Looking for a quick and delicious pasta recipe for dinner? This Pesto Pasta is flavourful, quick and easy to make. It works well as side-dish or, you can increase the quantities for a main dish. To make pesto pasta, you only need three ingredients; pesto (any kind), pasta and parmesan cheese (for serving).
The pesto sauce supplies all the herbs and garlic needed for the recipe, so all you have to do is cook the pasta, toss it in the pesto sauce and garnish it with some parmesan cheese. Simple! Making the pesto sauce is also quick and easy. You can have a delicious dish ready in less than half an hour.
This basil Pesto Pasta is delicious and flavourful; I am sure it will be your go-to pasta recipe for dinner. It is my family’s favourite pasta dish.
Why should you make this recipe?
- Simple and easy dinner
- Flavourful and delicious
- Doesn’t need many ingredients
Homemade or store-bought pesto?
Making pesto at home is way better than store-bought; you can control the consistency; it has a better flavour, the freshness can’t be matched, and it will be ready in less than 5 minutes. I am a big fan of homemade pesto.
Pesto Pasta ingredients:
- Pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- Pasta (any kind you like)
- Parmesan cheese (for serving)
How to make Pesto pasta?
Pesto: Make homemade pesto, or use a store-bought one.
Cooking the pasta: Cook the pasta in salty boiling water according to the packet instructions and drain well.
Adding the pasta to pesto: In a mixing bowl, add the pasta with the pesto and toss until well combined.
Garnish with parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.
Top Tips:
- If your homemade pesto was a bit thick, add a little warm water to it and stir well. Warm water will thin it out.
- Cook the pasta in salty water and drain well before tossing in the pesto sauce.
- Toss some veggies into the pasta, such as spinach, cauliflower or peas.
- Before adding the sauce to the pasta, adjust the taste; you may need to add some salt.
- I don’t recommend rinsing the pasta. The pesto will stick to and absorb into warm pasta.
- If you want to make this recipe even healthier, you can use whole wheat pasta.
- I recommend serving this dish immediately after mixing the pasta with the pesto sauce to avoid the pasta becoming dry.
Recipe variations:
- Vegan: Swap parmesan cheese for chopped basil or parsley.
- You can add some crunchiness to this recipe by tossing in some nuts such as walnuts or pine.
- If you’d like your Pesto Pasta with a bit of bite, feel free to add ½ teaspoon of red chilli flakes.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use red pesto in this recipe?
In this recipe, I recommend using green pesto such as rocket, basil, kale or spinach. My preference is basil pesto.
What is the best pasta to use?
You can use any pasta you like in making this recipe. I prefer making it with rigatoni, ziti, or penne because it is easy to toss the pesto through these pasta shapes.
What to add to Pesto Pasta?
You can add some cooked chicken, shrimps or some veggies such as rocket, cherry tomatoes, or sweet corn. Also, you can add some lemon juice to the pasta or 1-2 tablespoons of toasted pine nuts.
Can I reheat leftovers?
Unfortunately, you can’t. Basil turns black once exposed to heat, whether oven heat or stovetop. Heat also changes the taste and texture of basil. So the best thing to do is to eat it at room temperature.
Can I make this pesto pasta gluten-free?
Yes, you can replace the pasta with zucchini noodles or use gluten-free pasta. You can find gluten-free pasta in most supermarkets.
Tools used in making this recipe:
Pot: To cook the pasta.
Colander: To drain the pasta.
Large bowl: To mix all the salad ingredients in.
More pasta dishes:
- Pasta al Forno: This is a delicious Italian baked pasta.
- Easy one-pot pasta with veggies: This pasta recipe is super easy to make.
- Mushroom pasta recipe: This recipe is vegan-friendly, and it is very tasty.
- Shrimp pasta recipe: This pasta recipe is perfect for a healthy family dinner.
- Macaroni Bechamel: A delicious Mediterranean baked pasta with beef.
Easy Pasta Recipes
Pesto Pasta - With Homemade Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup pesto
- 350 g pasta (any kind you like)
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Make homemade pesto, or use a store-bought one.
- Cook the pasta in salty boiling water according to the packet instructions and drain well.
- In a mixing bowl, add the pasta with the pesto and toss until well combined.
- Garnish with parmesan cheese, and serve immediately.
Notes
- If your homemade pesto was a bit thick, add a little warm water to it and stir well. Warm water will thin it out.
- Cook the pasta in salty water and drain well before tossing in the pesto sauce.
- Toss some veggies into the pasta, such as spinach, cauliflower or peas.
- Before adding the sauce to the pasta, adjust the taste; you may need to add some salt.
- I don’t recommend rinsing the pasta. The pesto will stick to and absorb into warm pasta.
- If you want to make this recipe even healthier, you can use whole wheat pasta.
- I recommend serving this dish immediately after mixing the pasta
Nutrition
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So creamy and delicious. My daughter and I made it for dinner yesterday, and it was wonderful.
My favourite pasta recipe. I love it, especially when made with homemade pesto.
This is such a flavourful and nutty-tasting pasta. I think the reason for that amazing taste is the homemade pesto.