The best recipes are the simplest. Pesto pasta with homemade basil pesto, al dente pasta and a sprinkling of parmesan? Perfection.
In our opinion, the best recipes are the simplest. Don’t get me wrong, we love mastering things like the best margherita pizza and artisan sourdough bread. But you can’t beat the simplicity of the pesto pasta made with homemade basil pesto and a touch of cream. It’s something you never tire of! So excuse us if this recipe is easy: we promise it will blow your mind every time. It’s perfect as an accompaniment to pasta or as a simple dinner idea.
Start with a Homemade Basil Pesto!
For the best pesto pasta you can make at home, you have to start with this homemade basil pesto sauce! Of course, you can also use your favorite brand of pesto that you have bought. But when you make it yourself at home, the flavor reaches new heights. To prepare basil pesto, you will need a food processor or mortar and pestle. You can also use a small blender.
For the homemade basil pesto you will need a cup of fresh basil leaves. It’s best if you grow it at home, but if you have to buy it, that’s fine too! (By the way, if you want to grow basil at home, here’s everything you need to know about growing basil. It’s worth your time!) For the recipe, we have several pesto recipe options for you:
How to make pesto pasta
Once you have your pesto ingredients, this recipe is a breeze! How to make pasta with basil pesto:
- Make Homemade Basil Pesto: In a food processor, combine the fresh basil leaves, nuts (pine nuts or cashews), parmesan, garlic, fresh lemon juice, salt, and olive oil. Blend until a creamy sauce forms.
- Cook pasta: Boil a pot of salted water. Cook the noodles al dente (tender but still a little firm), then reserve some of the cooking water and drain.
- Add pesto and pasta water: Put the noodles back into the pan. Stir in the pesto sauce, some of the cooking water and a couple of cherry tomato slices. Season with kosher salt.
do you like pesto Try our The best pesto recipes!
Vegan variant for pesto pasta!
How do you make this recipe vegan? If you are plant-based, you’ve come to the right place! Here’s how to make vegan pesto pasta: Make our Easy Vegan Pesto instead! This recipe uses a secret ingredient that you might not expect to replace parmesan cheese. Check out this recipe for tips on making a great plant-based pesto.
More variations: use any type of pasta!
You can use any type of pasta for this pesto pasta: because pesto goes with everything! Here are some of our favorite pastas to try.
- Pieces: It’s like hollow spaghetti! This is our favorite long noodle
- Linguine: Another nice long noodle to try, it’s a bit thicker
- Corkscrew: These corkscrew-shaped pasta are perfect for scooping up pesto sauce
- Penne: Penne is always a winner!
- Twins: Another fun shape that looks like twisted twin tubes
How to cook pasta al dente
When Alex and I visited Italy on our honeymoon, we really tried pasta al dente for the first time. And it was breathtaking! It wasn’t the sticky, gooey stuff we used to taste in the States. The pasta was so firm that you really had to bite through each piece: that made it infinitely more satisfying. When we got home we knew we had to find out for ourselves.
Interestingly, we’ve found that many package directions for pasta take way too long to cook! Follow these tips to cook pasta al dente:
- Start the taste test a few minutes beforehand the instructions on the package indicate this. The noodles should be tender but still firm inside so they’re a little crispy.
- Some cooks say you should see a tiny bit of white in the pasta, others say it should have disappeared. Either way, you’ll want to grab it right away.
- stay alert: Pasta can go from al dente to overcooked in minutes!
PS If you fancy a pasta sauce that has been simmered for a long time, but above all without doing anything: try our vodka sauce! It’s creamy and full of amazing flavors.
This pesto pasta recipe is…
Vegetarian. For vegan, plant-based and dairy-free recipes, follow the recipe notes. For gluten-free pasta, use gluten-free pasta.
The description
The best recipes are the simplest. Pesto pasta with homemade basil pesto, al dente pasta and a sprinkling of parmesan? Perfection.
- Make the Pesto: Best Basil Pesto, Vegan Cashew Pesto, Cashew Pesto or Walnut Pesto.
- Heat a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, checking to see if it’s done a few minutes before package directions (noodles should be tender but still slightly firm).
- When the noodles are cooked, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water. Then drain and place in a large bowl. Toss pasta with pesto, pasta water, ¼ tsp kosher salt and toss until evenly coated. Taste and add more salt or pasta water if needed (exact amount will depend on the pesto and water in your pasta, so it will vary – salt until the flavor comes through!). Stir in tomatoes if using. Serve immediately.
Remarks
*This amount makes 3-4 modest servings, so you may need to double the amount depending on how hungry your eaters are.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: Italian
Keywords: Pasta with Pesto, Best Pasta with Pesto, Pasta with Basil Pesto, Pasta with Pesto Sauce
Looking for more pasta recipes?
This basil pesto pasta is great classic and one of our favorite pasta dinner ideas. But we have many more that have become fan favorites! Here are some of our best pasta recipes:
Last updated: August 2020
