This easy, creamy pasta recipe with pesto is perfect for last minute dinners or just a delicious, seasonal comfort meal.
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The other night I found myself rushing to get dinner ready in time to take the kids to soccer when I smelled the familiar smell of burning food in the cast iron skillet. I had burnt dinner and we needed to eat and leave within 30 minutes.
Quickly, I put a pot of water of to boil because pasta is always something I have ready to go for nights like these.
I had some fresh pesto frozen which I quickly pulled out and soon I had a delicious meal on the table and we were out the door.
How do you make a creamy pesto sauce
Making a creamy pesto sauce is easy! All that is needed is a base of your favorite pesto and heavy cream. To make the pesto creamy, simply mix together the pesto and cream.
This creamy sauce not only tastes great with homemade pasta but you can also use it for chicken, potatoes and even served over fish!
Any type of pesto will do but you can check out my recipes for Basil Pesto and Lemon Balm pesto here!
What do you need to make creamy pesto pasta
Pasta, any kind of noodle will do
Heavy Cream
Olive Oil
Salt
How to make a creamy pesto with pasta
Begin by filling a pot with water and bringing it to boil on the stove top. Salt the water with 1 tablespoon of salt.
When the water has been brought to a rolling boil, add in the pasta and allow it to cook until the pasta is soft but not over done.
Use a glass measuring cup or ladle to set aside some of the pasta water for later. Then strain the excess water from the pasta.
Begin heating a skillet over medium to high heat. Add in the olive oil, pesto and cream. Then add the pasta into the sauce. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Return the pasta water to the pasta and simmer until the sauce has thickened and become rich and creamy.
Top the pasta with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts or Parmesan cheese.
Creamy Pesto Pasta
This easy, creamy pasta recipe with pesto is perfect for last minute dinners or just a delicious, seasonal comfort meal.
Ingredients
- 3 cups dried pasta
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp pesto
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Begin by filling a pot with water and bringing it to boil on the stove top. Salt the water with 1 tablespoon of salt.
When the water has been brought to a rolling boil, add in the pasta and allow it to cook until the pasta is soft but not over done.
Use a glass measuring cup or ladle to set aside some of the pasta water for later. Then strain the excess water from the pasta.
Begin heating a skillet over medium to high heat. Add in the olive oil, pesto and cream. Then add the pasta into the sauce. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine.
Return the pasta water to the pasta and simmer until the sauce has thickened and become rich and creamy.
Top the pasta with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts or Parmesan cheese.
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