Pesto Pasta is a quick and versatile Italian dish, known for its creamy, fresh herb flavor. Made with pasta, olive oil, seasonings, and rich pesto sauce, it's perfect for lunch or dinner, pairing well with vegetables, chicken, or seafood, and ready in under 30 minutes.
Start by adding all the pesto sauce ingredients into a blender.
Blend to your preferred texture, smooth or a bit chunky. This recipe makes about 2½ cups of homemade pesto sauce. Adjust the ingredient quantities based on how much you need; this particular recipe uses just 5 tablespoons.
To Make Pesto Pasta
Fill a large pot with 5 cups of water (or as needed to cover the pasta). Season the water with salt and a bit of oil, then bring it to a boil. Add your choice of pasta.
Cook the pasta until tender, following the package instructions. Remember to save some of the pasta water for later.
After draining, transfer the pasta to a big mixing bowl. Stir in 5 tablespoons of your pesto sauce and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. You can adjust the flavor and consistency by adding more pesto sauce or pasta water if needed. If the pasta seems dry, just add a bit more pasta water.
Top off your dish with toasted pine nuts and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. Your delightful Pesto Pasta is now ready to be savored!
To serve
Pair this creamy Pesto Pasta with garlic bread, roasted veggies like zucchini, green beans, and broccoli, or with chicken dishes - roasted, baked, or drumsticks. It's also great with grilled or fried shrimp.
Notes
Some Essential Tips to Make Perfect Pesto Pasta:
Pasta Selection: Choose your preferred pasta type, such as angel hair, spaghetti, linguine, penne, or rotini.
Pesto Variations: Experiment with cilantro or parsley for a unique twist on classic pesto, in addition to fresh basil.
Store-Bought Sauce: Use store-bought pesto sauce when short on time. Enhance its flavor by sautéing onions in oil before mixing with the pasta. Adjust seasoning with black pepper and salt.
Consistency Control: Customize the pesto sauce's texture to your preference, whether smooth or chunky. Reserve pasta water to thin the sauce if needed for the desired consistency.