Pesto Pasta

The word pesto comes from the Italian “pestare,” which means to beat repeatedly, typically in a mortar with a pestle.

The most popular and traditional pesto is one made with basil. It’s called pesto alla Genovese because it originated in the city of Genova in the northwestern region of Liguria in Italy.

We’ll show you how to make a quick and easy basil pesto pasta as they do it in Italy, and we’ll also show you how to make one without dairy.

Also, basil isn’t the only herb you can turn into a delicious pesto. We’ll show you plenty of variations for making a bright, colorful, and tasty homemade pesto with plenty of fresh herbs and vegetables.

Let’s get cooking!

Pasta

You can use any pasta shape for this recipe. The most traditional is homemade trofie, but when we are short on time, we like to make it with farfalle (bow ties), fusilli, rotini, rigatoni, spaghetti, penne, ziti, spaghetti, or linguine.

Pesto

You can make this creamy pesto pasta with any pesto. Italian pasta al pesto is made with homemade basil pesto, but you can also use a store-bought pesto, although the flavor is different.

To make our dairy-free homemade pesto, you’ll need the following:

• Fresh basil leaves
• Almonds
• Pine nuts
• Nutritional yeast
• Salt
• Water
• Extra virgin olive oil

To make authentic Italian basil pesto, you’ll need the following:

• Fresh basil leaves
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano reggiano or Grana padano)
• Pecorino Sardo or Romano
• Garlic
• Pine nuts
• Sea salt

You can find both recipes in our guide on how to make the best basil pesto.

However, if you feel like trying something new, you can try our zucchini pesto, kale pesto, parsley pesto, artichoke pesto, arugula pesto, spinach pesto, red pepper pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, and chestnut pesto.

Yep, we are big homemade pesto fans in our family 🙂

Optional ingredients

Traditional pasta al pesto from Genova in Italy (the home of basil pesto) is with added boiled potatoes and green beans.

We think green beans and potatoes are delicious with pasta, so we’ll show you how to add them.

If you prefer leaving them out, don’t worry because this pesto pasta is delicious, nevertheless.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the salt, then the pasta, and cook it per package instructions, making sure the pasta is “al dente” with a slight bite.

When the pasta is almost ready, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.

Add half the water to a bowl, let it cool down for a minute, then add the pesto and stir until it turns into a creamy pesto sauce.

Tip: Basil pesto doesn’t react well to direct heat, so we don’t want to heat it on a pan. Warming it up with warm reserved pasta water is the best way to make it creamy without ruining its color and flavor.

Drain the pasta and toss it in the bowl with the pesto. Add more reserved pasta water if necessary to reach your desired creaminess. The pasta should be saucy and creamy and not dry.

You can also add more pesto if you want a richer pasta dish.

Serve immediately; garnish with extra virgin olive oil, and fresh basil leaves, and optionally with some grated parmesan or non-dairy parmesan.

Homemade trofie al pesto

If you want to go all the way, try making homemade trofie. Trofie is a type of pasta traditionally served with pesto. It’s delicious and easy to make during a cozy afternoon with your family.

Here’s our recipe for homemade trofie pasta.

Italian pasta al pesto

Add boiled potatoes and green beans to the pesto pasta to turn it into delicious Italian pasta al pesto, just like they make it in Genova.

This has become our favorite pasta pesto recipe, and we always make it. The green beans add a delicious crunch, the potatoes add creaminess, and both meld perfectly with the pesto.

To make it, you can boil the potatoes and the beans in the same water you cook the pasta. Remember that bite-sized potato take about 10 to 15 minutes to cook, and the green beans only need about 8 minutes.

Pesto pasta salad

Have you ever tried a cold pesto pasta salad? Pesto pasta is delicious and served at room temperature, and you can add cherry tomatoes, asparagus, arugula, olives, and pine nuts to make it even more delicious.

Here’s our recipe for a tasty pesto pasta salad.

Serve this pasta pesto next to a side dish of fresh greens, such as:

• Tomato salad (red onion, heirloom tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, basil, olive oil, etc.)
• Carrot salad (carrots, parsley, mustard, maple syrup, olive oil, etc.)
• Zucchini salad (cherry tomatoes, zucchini, lemon juice, mint, basil, garlic, etc.)
• Avocado salad (cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, parsley, red onion, etc.)
• Arugula salad (parmesan cheese or dairy-free cheese, arugula, lemon)

Salads

Carrot Salad

Salads

Avocado Salad

Salads

Tomato Salad

Salads

Zucchini Salad

Add your choice of vegetables with one of these pasta topping ideas:

• Confit tomatoes (garlic, oregano, olive oil, sugar, cherry tomatoes, etc.)
• Sauteed mushrooms (mushrooms, olive oil, salt, pepper, parsley, garlic.)
• Sauteed zucchini (red onion, zucchini, salt, lemon juice, parsley, etc.)
• Air fryer zucchini (zucchini, paprika, garlic powder, olive oil, etc.)
• Roasted eggplant (garlic, eggplant, parsley, olive oil, etc.)

Pesto and heat

Basil pesto doesn’t do well with heat; it will turn dark and lose flavor if you cook it. So it’s best to warm it up with a bit of pasta cooking water in a bowl rather than heat it in a pan.

How to cook pasta?

You’ll need a large pot of salted water as follows:

• 8 ounces of pasta (230 grams): cook pasta in 2 quarts of boiling water (8 cups or 2 Liters) with 1 tablespoon of salt (15 grams). Serves 2 – 3 people.
• 12 ounces of pasta (340 grams): cook pasta in 3 quarts of boiling water (12 cups or 3 Liters) with 1 ½ tablespoons of salt (21 grams). Serves 4 people.
• 1 pound of pasta (450 grams): cook pasta in 1 gallon of boiling water (16 cups or 4 Liters) with 2 tablespoons of salt (30 grams). Serves 5-6 people.

How much pasta per person?

Guidelines recommend 2.1 to 3.5 ounces or 60 to 100 grams of pasta per person, depending on your calorie needs.

Pasta portion sizes vary if you have pasta as a main and only meal or if it’s part of a 2 – 3 course menu.

Also, remember that a simple pasta with tomato and basil will have substantially different calories and macros than baked ziti with cheese and meat.

Here’s a simple summary:

• 3.5 ounces (100 grams) per person if the main meal;
• 2.8/3 ounces (80/90 grams) per person if part of a 2 – 3 course meal;
• 2/2.5 ounces (60/70 grams) per person if part of a 3+ course meal.

How much pesto per person?

You can add 2 to 4 tablespoons of pesto per portion of pasta (2.1 to 3.5 ounces or 60 to 100 grams), depending on your taste and diet.

Make Ahead and Storage

Make ahead: you can make the pesto ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer, in a jar covered with oil; however, mix it with the pasta shortly before eating as it turns dark quickly once it’s mixed with the pasta.

Refrigerator: store leftovers in the fridge for a day. You can reheat it in the microwave, however it’ll turn dark if you do so. You can also enjoy the leftover cold or at room temperature.

Freezer: pesto pasta is not suitable for freezing.

More Pesto Recipes

Get more sauce ideas from these easy and veggie-packed pesto recipes:

• Artichoke pesto (garlic, almonds, pine nuts, jarred artichokes, fresh basil, salt, etc.)
• Sun-dried tomato pesto (sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, olive oil, nutritional yeast, etc.)
• Red pepper pesto (jarred bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, garlic, etc.)
• Spinach pesto (tofu, almonds, nutritional yeast, garlic, spinach, olive oil, etc.)

Tofu

Spinach Pesto

Sauces

Red Pepper Pesto

Sauces

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Sauces

Artichoke Pesto

If you like easy and quick pasta meals, get fresh inspiration from these 20-minute pasta ideas:

• Hummus pasta (homemade or store-bought hummus, sauteed mushrooms, spaghetti, etc.)
• Pasta Puttanesca (canned tomatoes, olives, garlic, capers, parsley, olive oil, etc.)
• Broccoli pasta (orecchiette pasta, red pepper flakes, broccoli, parmesan, etc.)
• Pasta Pomodoro (canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, spaghetti, etc.)
• Spaghetti aglio e olio (parsley, spaghetti, red pepper flakes, garlic, etc.)

Pasta

Hummus Pasta

Pasta

Pasta Puttanesca

Pasta

Broccoli Pasta

Pasta

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

For many more pasta ideas, check out our pasta category page.