Creamy Pesto Pasta

Key Ingredients in This Recipe

• Basil – Italian large leaf basil is the variety typically found in grocery stores and most commonly used in pesto. Iy has a robust, herby basil flavor. Be sure to thoroughly wash the basil leaves before using them in the pesto; pesto is no place for dirt.
• Parmesan – Parmesan-Reggiano is definitely one of my favorite cheeses. It’s a hard cow’s milk cheese aged for different lengths of time. I’d recommend buying a roughly cut piece of wrapped cheese from the grocery store – it’s typically a higher quality cheese.
• Pine nuts – The pine nuts are first toasted in a pan to round out their flavor in this creamy pesto pasta sauce.

How to Make Creamy Pesto Pasta

1. Toast the pine nuts. Add the pine nuts to a small nonstick skillet and toast them over medium-low heat until they are golden brown and fragrant, about 4 minutes total time. Remove and set aside.
2. Blend the pesto. Pick the basil leaves off the stems then rinse and pat the basil dry. Place the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in a blender or food processor fitted with a blade attachment and blend on high until the basil is chopped, about 1 minute.
3. Season the pesto. Stop the blender and scrape down the sides occasionally with a spoon to make sure all ingredients are combined. Season to taste with salt.
4. Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to the boil; add the salt and bring back to the boil. Pour in the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.
5. Blend the pesto with pasta water. Add ½ cup of the reserved pasta water to the pesto and continue to blend until smooth. Add the cream and blend once more.
6. Serve. Ladle in the desired amount of pesto to coat the pasta. Stir and serve.

Tips and Tricks for This Recipe

Substitutions/ Swaps

• If you do not have pine nuts, try substituting walnuts instead, as the oily nuts work well in the sauce, complements the basil and are high in Omega-3’s (plus they’re much cheaper).
• Add red pepper flakes prior to blending, for a slightly spicy sauce
• Add grilled chicken, shrimp or scallops to this dish for a more complete meal. Pesto chicken pasta is a great pairing, simply serve with cheesy garlic bread and a salad like this endive and arugula mix for a dinner party menu.

Why you should reserve pasta water

I always recommend reserving some of the pasta cooking water before draining your pasta. The salty, starchy water that the pasta is cooked in adds flavor and helps to bind the sauce to the pasta, making a rich and silky sauce. 

Best Pasta to Serve with Creamy Pesto Pasta Sauce

Handkerchief pasta is a natural pairing for this cream and pesto blend (Mandilli di Seta). For a more traditional pasta shape, try pairing with twisted or corkscrew shapes that hold the sauce like trofie or fusilli and longer shapes like fettuccine.

How to store the pasta sauce

Store the sauce refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you don’t have pasta water to thin the sauce you can use additional cream or a bit of water to thin the sauce.

How to Make this Sauce Dairy Free

Parmesan cheese actually contains negligible amounts of lactose so it’s often safe to eat for those who typically avoid dairy. I recommend substituting pasta cooking water for the creamy in this recipe or substituting with coconut cream.

Other Recipes to Try

If you enjoy this creamy pesto pasta recipe, I recommend checking out these:

• Homemade Pesto Pasta
• Ramp Pesto Spaghetti with Burrata
• Baked Stuffed Shells in Vodka Sauce with Pesto Oil