Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot, add 1½ tablespoons of salt, then 12 ounces of pasta of choice, and cook it per package instructions.Make sure the pasta is "al dente" with a slight bite.When the pasta is almost ready, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking waterAdd ½ cup of pasta water to a bowl, let it cool down for a minute, then add 1 cup of basil pesto and stir until it turns into a creamy pesto sauce.
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.
Serve immediately; optionally you can garnish with extra virgin olive oil, freshbasil leaves, and grated parmesan or non-dairy parmesan.
Optionally, add 2 medium potatoes and 1 cup of green beans to the pesto pasta (cut into bite-size pieces and boiled).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.