Pesto Pasta
Pesto pasta is so quick to make from scratch. In just fifteen minutes you can have delicious pasta coated in a homemade pesto sauce on the table ready to be gobbled up.
Why This Recipe Works
- Plant-based, perfect if you are looking to reduce your meat intake.
- Quick and Easy on the table in 15 minutes flat.
- Delicious, your family is sure to love the taste of the spinach and basil pesto sauce.
Ingredients you will need
To make my Pesto Pasta you will need:
- Dried spaghetti
- Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- Fresh basil leaves
- Spinach leaves
- Parmesan
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Lemon juice
- Extra virgin olive oil
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
- Dried spaghetti: I tend to make this dinner with spaghetti or fettuccine, but you can use any pasta shape including Fusilli, farfalle, rigatoni or penne pasta. I use dry pasta, but you can of course use fresh pasta as well. You can also toss the pesto sauce through zoodles (zucchini noodles).
- Pepitas (pumpkin seeds): I like making my pesto with pepitas as they are economical but you can substitute these with pine nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds or walnuts.
- Basil and spinach leaves: I like to use a 50:50 blend of basil and spinach but you can of course make a pure basil pesto sauce or spinach pesto sauce. You can also substitute some of the basil and spinach leaves with arugula. You just need 2 cups of green leaves.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I like the flavor EVO adds to the pesto sauce but you can use your favourite oil, including avocado oil.
- Optional: I don't tend to add garlic to this recipe, but you absolutely can add one or two cloves of garlic to the pesto sauce.
How to make pesto pasta sauce
Below are illustrated step-by-step instructions to make my Pesto Pasta recipe, if you prefer just the written instructions then head straight to the printable recipe card below.
Step one: Cook pasta as per the packet directions in a large pot. Do not discard the cooking water. While your pasta is cooking prepare the pesto sauce.
Step one: Toast your pepitas. I do this by heating a pan to medium heat. Then add the pepitas and toast until they are lighlty browned and begin to pop. Once this happens immediately remove the pumpkin seeds from the heat by popping them in a dish or bowl. i.e. don't leave them in the skillet.
Step two: Place all the ingredients for the pesto sauce in a food processor (excluding the olive oil). Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped.
Step three: Turn your food processor on continuous, while the food processor is running gradually add the olive oil, and continue processing until all the oil is added and a smooth consistency is reached.
Step four: Once your pasta is al dente, drain reserving about ½ a cup of the pasta cooking water.
Step five: Transfer the drained pasta to a bowl, add the pesto sauce and approximately ¼ cup of the pasta water, and toss or stir the pasta so that it is well coated with the pesto sauce. If the pasta is a little dry, add more of the reserved pasta water until the pesto pasta has the consistency you want.
Enjoy!
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Top Tips
Here is how you can make this pesto pasta perfectly every time!
- Remember to reserve the pasta cooking water. Adding the pasta cooking water to the pasta and pesto makes the pasta slurpier and more delicious. The gluten in the pasta water helps the pasta sauce coat and cling to the spaghetti. I use the same hack in my buttered noodles recipe.
- Use this same pesto sauce recipe to make a delicious pesto pasta salad with cherry tomatoes
- This pesto sauce is also lovely with grilled veggies, meat, fish or chicken
Pesto Pasta
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Ingredients
- 500 grams dried spaghetti
- 2 Tablespoons Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 cup basil leaves (tightly packed)
- 1 cup baby spinach leaves (tightly packed)
- 50 grams parmesan
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 150 mililitres extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Pasta
- Cook your spaghetti as per the packet directions. Do not discard the cooking water.
- While your pasta is cooking prepare the pesto sauce.
Pesto sauce
- Toast your pepitas. I do this by heating a skillet to medium heat. Then add the pepitas and toast until they are lighlty browned and begin to pop. Once this happens immediately remove the pumpkin seeds from the heat by popping them in a dish or bowl. i.e. don't leave them in the skillet.
- Place all the ingredients for the pesto sauce in a food processor (excluding the olive oil). Pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped.
- Turn your food processor onto continuous, while the food processor is running gradually add the olive oil, and continue processing until all the oil is added and a smooth consistency is reached.
Pasta
- Once your pasta is al dente, drain reserving about ½ a cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Transfer the drained pasta to a bowl, add the pesto sauce and approximately ¼ cup of the pasta water, and toss the pasta so that it is well coated with the pesto sauce. If the pasta is a little dry, add more of the reserved pasta water until the pesto pasta has the consistency you want.
- Enjoy
Notes
- Remember to reserve the pasta cooking water. Adding the pasta cooking water to the pasta and pesto makes the pasta slurpier and more delicious. The gluten in the pasta water helps the pasta sauce coat and cling to the spaghetti.
- Use this same pesto sauce recipe to make a delicious pesto pasta salad with cherry tomatoes
- This pesto sauce is also lovely with grilled veggies, meat, fish or chicken
- Dried spaghetti: I tend to make this dinner with spaghetti or fettuccine, but you can use any pasta shape including Fusilli, farfalle, rigatoni or penne pasta. I use dry pasta, but you can of course use fresh pasta as well. You can also toss the pesto sauce through zoodles (zucchini noodles).
- Pepitas (pumpkin seeds): I like making my pesto with pepitas as they are economical but you can substitute these with pine nuts, sunflower seeds, almonds or walnuts.
- Basil and spinach leaves: I like to use a 50:50 blend of basil and spinach but you can of course make a pure basil pesto sauce or spinach pesto sauce. You can also substitute some of the basil and spinach leaves with arugula. You just need 2 cups of green leaves.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I like the flavor EVO adds to the pesto sauce but you can use your favourite oil, including avocado oil.
- Optional: I don't tend to add garlic to this recipe, but you absolutely can add one or two cloves of garlic to the pesto sauce.
Nutrition
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Any recommendations on substitutions for the parmesan cheese? My daughter has a cows milk protein allergy and the rest of the family loves pesto
You can either try a vegan cheese, or nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavour to food.