We love everything pesto! For more must-have recipes using pesto, don’t miss: Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta, Pesto Pasta Salad, Creamy Pesto Chicken Skillet, Sheet Pan Parmesan Chicken and Vegetables, Crockpot Pesto Mashed Potatoes, and TikTok Feta Pasta.
HOW TO MAKE pesto pasta recipe VIDEo
Basil Pesto Pasta Ingredients
This easy Pesto Pasta recipe features homemade basil pesto sauce bursting with the herbaceous freshness of basil, the pungent zing of garlic, the salty, nuttiness of the freshly grated Parmigiana Reggiano, a sunny lift of citrus from the lemon juice, all underscored by the sweet, nutty, toasted pine nuts and rich olive oil. Toss in some pesto roasted vegetables, al dente pasta, and a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan and you won’t be able to put your fork down! Here’s what you’ll need to make this simple but delicious pasta recipe (full recipe measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):
FOR THE PESTO
FOR THE PASTA AND VEGETABLES
The vegetables are roasted with some of the homemade pesto, olive oil, salt and pepper. You can use the below vegetables or mix and match your favs with similar roasting times, or omit the veggies altogether.
How to Make Pesto Pasta
If you’ve never made homemade Pesto Pasta before, you’re in for a treat! You’ll be amazed at how quick and easy it is to make pesto pasta from scratch. The pesto itself doesn’t need to be cooked, so all you have to do is boil some pasta and roast a handful of veggies. Let’s take a closer look at how to make it (full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of the post):
Step 1: Roast the Vegetables
Add the chopped veggies to baking sheet and toss with a little pesto, olive oil, salt and pepper. It will seem look like a lot of oil/pesto, but it will be mixed in with the pasta later for an extra flavorful sauce.Spread the veggies out in a single layer once they’ve been seasoned and roast at 400ºF until the asparagus is crisp-tender.
Step 2: Make the Basil Pesto Sauce
Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Do NOT add oil to the pan! Add the pine nuts and toast them just until golden in spots. Immediately remove from the skillet so they don’t continue to cook. Be careful; pine nuts can go from being perfectly golden to burnt in a matter of seconds. Add all the pesto ingredients except the olive oil to a food processor and then pulse to chop. With the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it is completely combined.
Step 3: Cook the Pasta
Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. You want the pasta to be al dente, meaning it should still have some bite to it. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before you drain the pasta.
Step 4: Assemble the Pesto Pasta
Add the drained pasta to a mixing bowl. Add the prepared pesto and additional lemon juice. Toss to coat pasta in pesto, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time if needed to make the pasta silky and saucy, rather than dry and sticky. Stir in the roasted vegetables. Serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated Parmesan.
Pesto Variations:
Use a different basil: Try a different variety of basil such as large leaf Italian basil, lemon basil, mint basil, Greek basil, etc. Each will affect the taste of the recipe in an exciting new way.Swap in different greens: Swap some or all of the basil for other greens such as parsley, cilantro, mint, arugula, kale, spinach, etc., or play with a combination.Add herbs: In addition to basil, try flavoring the pesto with marjoram, mint, thyme or oregano.Swap in other cheese: Swap some of the Parmesan Reggiano for sharper, saltier, tangier, more pungent Pecorino Romano. You can even use Cotija cheese in combination with cilantro and pepitas.Swap in other nuts: Swap the pine nuts for almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, or pistachios.Make it nut free: Swap the pine nuts for pumpkin seeds, pepitas, hemp seeds, etc.Punch up the flavor: Add anything to your pesto such as sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, jalapeños, red pepper flakes, anchovies, capers, olives, artichoke hearts, etc. Add some heat: I’m a big fan of adding a pinch of red pepper flakes to my Basil Pesto Pasta – yum! Make vegan pesto: Substitute the cheese with a non-dairy cheese or add 3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is nutty and cheesy.
pasta Variations:
Use more pesto: You may want to use more pesto depending on how strong you want the flavor. Start with less then add more to taste. Use any veggies you like! Just make sure the roasting times or similar. You can also use sautéed vegetables, grilled vegetables or any leftover cooked vegetables.Cheesy Pesto Pasta: You can add additional cheese directly to the pasta after tossing it with the pesto.Lemon Pesto Pasta: Add additional lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time for a brighter, lemon herb pasta.Creamy Pesto Pasta: Instead of reserved pasta water, stir in heavy cream until the pasta reaches your desired consistency. Pesto Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes: Add ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil for a zesty flavor profile.Pesto Pasta with mozzarella: You can stir freshly shredded mozzarella directly into the pesto pasta or sprinkle it on top of the finished dish, cover and let it melt into a blanket of cheesy splendor.Pesto Pasta with chicken: Season chopped chicken with salt, pepper and paprika pan sear until cooked through.Pesto Pasta with sausage: Mild or hot ground Italian sausage would be amazing. You could also use turkey sausage or chicken sausage. Pesto Pasta with shrimp: Roasted shrimp or butter garlic shrimp would be fabulous. Stir into the pasta after it’s done cooking.Pesto Pasta with bacon: Sizzle up thick-cut bacon and add to the pasta at the very end of cooking. Pesto Pasta with spinach: Stir in 1 to 2 cups baby spinach at the end of cooking, cover and allow to wilt.Spicy Pesto Pasta: Amp up the heat with 1/4-½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. You can also add red pepper flakes to individual servings to keep the pasta family friendly.Gluten free Pesto Pasta: Use your favorite gluten free pasta. The rest of the ingredients are gluten free.
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