If you're a fan of pasta and love the bright, fresh flavors of basil pesto, you're going to be obsessed with this PestoPasta! It's incredibly delicious and surprisingly easy to make. With just a few simple ingredients and less than 20 minutes, you can have a restaurant-quality pasta dish on your table!
Optional, but recommended: lots of fresh lemon, Parmesan cheese
Instructions
PASTA: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add 1 tbsp fine sea salt. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Before draining, scoop out and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain pasta, shake off excess water, but do not rinse under cold water.
PESTO: Meanwhile, prepare pesto if making homemade. Measure out one full cup and add to a large ceramic/glass bowl (do not return to the hot pot--the pesto could brown). Once the pasta is cooked and drained, dump it on top of the pesto in the bowl. Drizzle on 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and use tongs to toss the pasta in the pesto. Continue to toss until the pasta is evenly coated. Add more pasta water if needed to make it cohesive and creamy.
ENJOY: Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve immediately topped with Parmesan cheese. We like to get a block of Parmesan and grate it finely with a microplane. Lots of lemon on top is also delicious if you're into that sort of thing! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Note 1: Pesto: To make sure your pesto pasta is bursting with flavor, use a high-quality pesto. You can of course make your own pesto, and if you choose that option, you've got to try my pesto recipe (it's the best I've ever tried!).
BUT-- if you’re looking to save some time (this dish is in our series of quick recipes, after all), I recommend picking up a refrigerated, freshly-made basil pesto from your local grocery store. Look for it near the refrigerated fresh pasta and gourmet cheese. Rana's® Basil Pesto is hands-down our fave.
Note 2: Storage: To store leftover Pesto Pasta, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to five days. When reheating, warm the pasta on low heat in a skillet and gradually add water to the sauce until the desired consistency is reached. Alternatively, reheat the pasta in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Add more salt if needed, and consider squeezing fresh lemon juice for extra flavor. Keep in mind that every day it's stored, the pasta will become slightly drier and less saucy.