Busy weeknights call for simple recipes that can be pulled together in a flash, and nothing’s simpler than a basic, homemade basil pesto pasta recipe that even a kid can make and clean up after too.
Every summer, when my garden is overflowing with basil I get busy making jars of my favorite homemade basil pesto recipe (I love freezing it for quick and easy meals on the fly). I love incorporating it into a variety of dishes, like my pesto chicken, pesto pasta salad, and arugula salad with pesto shrimp, Parmesan, and white beans. This super simple pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes is one recipe I love having in my back pocket. It’s a total weeknight savior, for busy days when I need to get dinner on the table fast, but don’t want to think about cooking.
In This Post
What’s in This Pesto Pasta
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this pesto pasta (and if you already have your pesto made, you only need pasta and tomatoes to make it!).
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Bucatini (spaghetti, linguine, or any other long noodle works great)
- Garlic
- Pine nuts
- Basil
- Olive oil (a quality, fruity extra-virgin olive oil is best here)
- Parmesan
- Lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
How to Make This Pesto Pasta
Cook your pasta. Cook the spaghetti or other pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions or until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
Make the pesto. Add the roughly chopped garlic, toasted pine nuts, and finely grated parmesan cheese to a food processor and process until smooth. Then, add in the basil. Pulse a few times until chopped then let it run as you drizzle the olive oil into the processor as it runs until emulsified. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, give a squeeze of lemon juice, and whiz again until combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking.
Toss and season. Toss the hot pasta with the pesto in a large bowl and add the reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time or until saucy. Top with the cherry tomatoes and season with more salt and pepper if desired and garnish with more parmesan cheese. If you want a little kick, sprinkle in some red pepper flakes!
Tips for Making Pesto at Home
Check out my post on how to make homemade pesto here, or here are a few highlights:
- Don’t add any more garlic. You’ll totally ruin the herbaceous flavor if you turn it into a vampire fest and it will turn the sauce into tin. Seriously, I’ve done it.
- Be sure to pulse your food processor or blender when chopping the herbs. This will keep it a fresh green color rather than a murky, bottom-of-the-pond color.
- Use a fresh and fruity olive oil for the lightest flavor.
- Because the flavors are so simple, use the best you can afford and fresh, leafy herbs always shine the most.
- Out of pine nuts or simply can’t afford them? Walnuts, Marcona almonds, and even pistachios are tasty alternatives.
What to Use in Pesto Besides Basil
I used the bunches of garden basil from my garden before the freeze sets in, but if basil isn’t in season, pesto can always be made with any of these greens:
- Parsley
- Arugula
- Spinach
- Mint
- Kale
- Broccoli or broccolini
- Beet Greens
What to Use in Pesto Besides Pine Nuts
While pine nuts are my favorite nut to use in pesto, they’re definitely more expensive than other varieties.
Other types of nuts to use in pesto instead of pine nuts:
- Walnuts
- Almonds (I like Marcona almonds)
- Cashews
- Pepitas
- Pistachios
- Sunflower seeds
- Hemp seeds (safe for nut allergies)
Tip: No matter what kind of nut you use, just be sure to toast them. Toasting maximizes the flavor of the nut and adds a great depth of flavor to the pesto.
The Best Pasta Shape for Pesto Pasta
Pesto works for any shape of pasta, but typically long and thin or short and compact varieties are most familiar. I used the thicker bucatini here. Here are a few more types to consider:
- Farfalle
- Fusilli
- Rigatoni
- Spaghetti
- Linguine
- Orzo
- Tortellini
- Penne
- Orecchiette
And when making lasagna or stuffed shells, pesto is an awesome alternative to marinara or tomato sauce for a lighter, brighter flavor.
Tip: When cooking your pasta, always salt your water generously, wait until your water has come to a boil to avoid pitting your pan, and cook your pasta until al denté so the noodles still have a good texture that hasn’t turned to mush.
What Goes With Pesto Pasta
Pesto pasta can certainly make a meal on its own, but it also comes together quickly as an easy side dish. Here are a few main meal ideas to cozy it up next to.
- 30-Minute Caprese Chicken Recipe
- Garlic Grilled Shrimp Skewers
- Chicken Caesar Salad Recipe
- 5-Ingredient Baked Halibut
- Baked Chicken Parmesan
- Crispy Italian Oven Baked Chicken
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Homemade Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound bucatini , spaghetti or other favorite noodle
- 1 garlic cloves
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves , washed and stemmed and finely packed
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish
- ½ lemon , juiced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- Cherry tomatoes
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti or other pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions or until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.
- While pasta is cooking, add the roughly chopped garlic, toasted pine nuts, and finely grated parmesan cheese to a food processor and process until smooth. Then, add in the basil. Pulse a few times until chopped then let it run as you drizzle the olive oil into the processor as it runs until emulsified. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, give a squeeze of lemon juice, and whiz again until combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking.
- Toss the hot pasta with the pesto in a large bowl and add reserved pasta water ¼ cup at a time or until saucy. Top with the cherry tomatoes and season with more salt and pepper if desired and garnish with more parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
More Pesto Recipes to Try
- Pesto Pasta Salad with Bell Peppers and Peas
- Creamy Chicken Pesto Penne with Broccoli
- Arugula Pesto
- One-Pan Chicken with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sauce
- Arugula Salad with Pesto Shrimp, Parmesan and White Beans
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The pesto pasta was a culinary delight! The pasta was perfectly al dente, and the pesto sauce was bursting with flavor, a harmonious blend of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan cheese. The addition of sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of grated Parmesan on top added an extra layer of deliciousness. It was a delightful dish that left my taste buds singing with joy. I highly recommend trying this amazing pesto pasta.
Thanks Brenda, I’m glad you enjoyed it and added some extra ingredients to make it your own.
It´s looks very yummy. Thanks vor the good work.
The recipe is great. The pesto turned out great! I used two Garlic cloves. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Definelty gonna tell my wife to try this. my children is gonna love this.
Happy to hear that. I hope you all enjoy!
This was delicious! I just made it. My husband and I both loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
I love this recipe, so delicious!
Thank you for this helpful and inspiring article. I went into the kitchen and made a dish of pasta with what I had on hand–penne, spinach, and walnunts–and it came out great.
Beautiful, looks great!
This looks incredible. I love anything with pasta and am always looking for new recipes, but haven’t seen anything like this. Thanks. Will definitely be trying this. Love your photos too.
Thank you for this share! I prepared this dish this past Monday night as a “going away meal” for my long weekend guests and we all loved it!! I even had stretched it out to a lb and a half of pasta and they still wanted more! Delicious, simple and fresh! I followed your recipe and because I needed extra pesto sauce and only had exactly a half of a cup of pine nuts, I stretched it with walnuts and it was perfect! Namaste’ – Gen
My kids loves your recipe for pesto pasta. So easy to make, but yummy❤️❤️❤️
pesto pasta is basically my favorite ever. actually, pesto anything is basically my favorite thing ever… pesto is like my savory addiction equivalent of peanut butter, IT TASTES GOOD ON EVERYTHING!!!
oh my! i am literally drooling over all the pasta recipes here. Yum!
I heart a good pesto. Love all your tips! And thanks for including me in the mix. Cheers to many successful dishwashing days ahead :)
I love the simplicity of this!
I hope Smudge likes doing dishes more than her mother did. She’s a good little helper. The pesto looks delicious, I used way too much garlic the last time I made it, next time 2 cloves. Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
Love love love pesto! I never would’ve thought that pistachios would be an option to sub for pine nuts but I am totally loving the idea.
My little dude (21 months) LOVES helping me unload the dishwasher and he’s actually really good about putting things where they go. Keeping my fingers crossed that he continues to enjoy this as he gets older. Maybe I should cross my toes too :)
Gorgeous, I want to dive into this!
Ooo I love pesto. I love that your teaching Smudge the awesomeness of doing dishes. My husband and I were just joking that we can’t wait to have another little person around to help with the dishes! That’s probably not a good thing to admit hahaha.
I love pesto pasta! Simple and delicious dishes like this is what summer is about!
OH man — seriously craving that simple, perfect bowl of pasta. Not to mention all the other fab recipes. Must. go. buy. basil.
everything looks yummy as usual!
What an easy recipe and the photos of pesto pasta are so gorgeous! This post just reminded me I need to go get lunch. Bookmarked this to try soon. Thanks for sharing!
Pesto is the best thing to hit carbs since butter! I love it on pasta, bread even in rice! SO flavourful no wonder you love it so much. Your pictures are impeccable
Simple yet delicious. Pesto adds so much flavor even to the most simplest dishes and that’s why I love it so much. As always your pictures and so so so so beautiful
Favorite. Food. In. All. Of. The. Life.
My boys are loving doing the laundry right now. I know that won’t last forever, so I’m feeling grateful for that while it lasts!
“Pesto pasta” (what my boys call it) is one of our favorite year-round meals. And you’re so right about easing off on the garlic when making pesto…let that basil shine!
great looking as always!
I wish I had someone helping me do the dishes….least favorite part of the day for sure!!
This pesto pasta is gorgeous Heidi! Sometimes simple is really all we need!
I remember vividly helping my mama do the dishes as a tot and thinking it was bliss… oh the irony in that these days! Always love your cute family stories, H! And this pasta looks divine! xo
I wish doing the dishes was still fun for me! MAN, that would be the best!! Also, love the simplicity to this pasta!