Pesto pasta
- Preparation 10 min
- Cooking 10 min
- Servings 4
- Freezing I do not suggest
Ads
🍝 The weeknight dinner that makes itself
Pasta, pesto, a drizzle of olive oil. That’s mostly it, a quick dinner for when you don’t feel like racking your brain. It works for other things too: a quick lunch with cured sausage and cheese, or a side next to a main dish.
🌿 My pesto, or a good store-bought one
Here I use my parsley and basil pesto. It’s the heart of the dish, so it gets its own page. A good store-bought pesto does the job too, no judgment.
🍅 A base you can dress up
Cherry tomatoes, chicken, parmesan on top, even flaked salmon: all of it works in the bowl. For the pasta, I love orzo, but any shape does the job. And the leftovers? They make a very good pesto pasta salad the next day.
Ads
Ads
🍝 Orzo, but not only orzo
I love orzo with pesto. That said, any pasta does the job, so grab whatever is sitting in the pantry.
💧 Off the heat, with a little pasta water
You mix off the heat. The pesto, the drizzle of oil and a little of the water the pasta cooked in: that’s what coats everything, with nothing else needed. So set a cup of water aside before draining, just in case.
⏱️ What goes wrong
Two things. Overcooked pasta first, which turns soft and sticks together. And too much oil, second: a drizzle is a drizzle. If it’s too greasy, the pasta water is there to save you.
🛒 Store-bought pesto, no problem
A good store-bought pesto does the job too. If you have the time and some basil, my parsley and basil pesto is worth it.
🍗 The add-ins
Cherry tomatoes, chicken, parmesan on top, or even flaked salmon. Add one, add three, the base stays the same.
🥗 Leftovers, as a cold salad
The next day, pesto pasta is good cold. To take it further, try my pesto pasta salad with olives and artichoke hearts.
✅ What to serve with pesto pasta
For dinner, it’s a meal on its own. For a quick lunch, add cured sausage and cheese. As a side, it goes with a simple chicken or fish. If you like pesto, also try my orecchiette with arugula and basil pesto or my cilantro pesto.
Ads
Ingredients
- About 400 g (14 oz) pasta, your choice (orzo, or any other shape)
- ½ cup (125 ml) parsley and basil pesto (or more, to taste, or a good store-bought pesto)
- Olive oil
- A little reserved pasta cooking water
Ads
Preparation
- In a big pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta al dente, following the instructions on the box. Set aside a little of the cooking water, then drain.
- Off the heat, put the pasta back in the pot. Add the pesto, a good drizzle of olive oil and a little cooking water. Season with salt and pepper and stir well! Serve right away.
Any of them. I love orzo with pesto, but spaghetti, penne or fusilli all do the job.
Use a drizzle of olive oil, no more. Mix off the heat with a little of the pasta cooking water you saved before draining: it helps the pesto coat the pasta without turning oily.
Yes, a good store-bought pesto does the job. I mostly use my parsley and basil pesto, but it doesn’t change the rest of the recipe.
Cherry tomatoes, chicken, parmesan on top, or even flaked salmon. The base stays simple: pasta, pesto and a drizzle of olive oil.
In the fridge, 3 to 5 days. I do not suggest freezing them. The next day, they make a very good cold pasta salad.
Ads
Ads
Ads
Ads
Ads