Creamy Pesto Pasta
Fresh basil pesto on pasta — simple, fast, and tastes like you actually tried.
Main Dish · Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min · Serves 4 · Easy · By Tina · Published
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, for garnish
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
Weeknight Elegance in Under 20 Minutes
Creamy pesto pasta is the recipe I reach for when I want something that feels fancy but takes barely any effort. It's rich, herby, and completely satisfying. I've been making this since my university days, and the recipe has evolved into something I'm genuinely proud of.
Making Fresh Pesto
If you have 5 minutes and a food processor, make it fresh. Blitz together fresh basil leaves, toasted pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, a squeeze of lemon juice, and good olive oil until you get a vibrant green paste. Season with salt and pepper. The difference between fresh and jarred pesto is honestly night and day.
The Pasta
Cook your pasta (I love gemelli or casarecce, but penne works beautifully too) in generously salted water until one minute short of al dente. Reserve a full cup of that starchy pasta water before draining -- this is the magic ingredient that makes the sauce silky.
The Creamy Sauce
In a large pan over medium heat, combine the pesto with a splash of heavy cream and half the reserved pasta water. Add the drained pasta and toss vigorously, adding more pasta water as needed until every piece is coated in a glossy, creamy, green sauce. The starch in the pasta water emulsifies everything together.
Finishing Touches
Take the pan off the heat and stir in extra Parmesan. Serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil, cracked black pepper, a few fresh basil leaves, and toasted pine nuts scattered on top.
Tina's Tips
- Make fresh pesto if you possibly can -- the colour, flavour, and aroma are incomparable to jarred
- Save that pasta water -- it's the secret to a sauce that clings to every piece of pasta
- Undercook the pasta by one minute since it finishes cooking in the sauce
- Add Parmesan off the heat so it melts smoothly instead of clumping
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