20 Minute Pesto Pasta
Dinner, fast! Our 20 Minute Pesto Pasta is a quick, easy, but incredibly flavorful, vegetarian dinner that can be ready and on the table in no time!
Add even more from scratch flair with your own Fresh Homemade Pasta!
Ready fast and delicious to boot! Our 20 Minute Pesto Pasta is a family favorite! We’ve been making pesto for a very very long time now, but have just recently gotten around to sharing this week. Trust me, if you haven’t made our Easy Classic Pesto yet, you’re going to want to get on that for this recipe. It really makes the world of difference for this easy but absolutely delicious vegetarian pasta!
Ingredients Needed
- Pasta – Spaghetti is a favorite, and homemade pasta, well that just takes it all to the next level, but you can also of course use any of your favorites.
- Homemade Pesto – Store bought is also fine, but once you realize how it’s almost as much time to open a jar as it is to make your own, trust me, the difference in the flavor is worth it!
- Parmesan Cheese – Just enough to finish your plate with! Another hard cheese like Asiago or Romano will also work well.
- Salt – This is to generously salt the pasta water, as you should always when cooking pasta!
Easy to Make
It doesn’t get much easier than this, really. Cook your pasta to either the package instructions, or just for a few minutes if you’re going the extra mile and using Fresh Homemade Pasta. Add some of that pasta water to your pesto to loosen it, and then it’s ready to be added to the pasta when it is cooked and drained.
Pasta Water
Don’t skip the pasta water! This is key for any pasta recipes where you want the ultimate cling of the sauce to your pasta. That’s thanks to the starchy goodness that’s in that salty pasta water. Be sure to grab it before you drain your pasta – I’ve made that mistake and it’s a heartbreaking one!
Mix! Give it all a good mix and then you’ll be ready to serve your well coated pasta.
Plated and 20 Minute Pesto Pasta! Just a touch more Parmesan cheese, a little bit of fresh basil to top it off, for the most herbal, fresh, flavorful quintessential Italian pasta there is!
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So delicious, so easy, and so fast!
Enjoy! As always, if you make this recipe or any of my others, I love to hear what you think! Leave a comment below, email me, or you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
If you want to see more, be sure to sign up for my 5 Easy Ways to Start Cooking From Scratch!
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta spaghetti, or your other favorite
- 3/4 cup pesto 6.5 oz
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- Parmesan cheese shredded or garnish
- fresh basil for garnish
- 1/8 – 1/4 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Heat a large pot of water over high on the stovetop. Add salt. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add spaghetti and cook for 8-9 minutes.
- Reserve Pasta Water: Just before the pasta is done cooking, set aside 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta into a colander in the sink and then add that pasta to a large bow.
- Prep Pesto: Add 1/8-1/4 cup of pasta water to the pesto and mix well. Add the pesto to the bowl of pasta and mix well until all of the pasta is well coated with pesto.
- Serve: Serve and top with addtional Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
- Enjoy!
