Pesto Pasta is daughter #1’s favorite. She’s loved it ever since her host-mom made it for her during her student exchange program in Milan. It was only a matter of time before I created a Pesto Pasta recipe just for her because I know how much she loves it but also the joy it brings her to a moment of fond memories back in Italy.
The important thing to remember when making Pesto Pasta is to reserve some pasta water because the pasta water is the key ingredient that emulsifies the pesto and makes it into a creamy glossy sauce. Without reserved water, if you just add pesto into pasta, you’ll just get a clumpy mess of pesto that won’t spread evenly into the pasta.
A few other things to keep in mind when making Pesto Pasta:
- Salt your water. Your pasta will have so much more flavor.
- Reserve some pasta water right before you drain your pasta and not any earlier.
- Use a separate bowl to blend your pasta with the pesto (and of course your reserved pasta water). The pot you used to cook your pasta will be too hot and will bruise your basil, causing it to lose some of its flavor and color.
Our favorite way to enjoy Pesto Pasta is with spaghetti or farfalle (bow-tie pasta) but you can just about use any pasta you like.
Buon appetito!
Pesto Pasta
A pasta dish that uses a fresh herb garlicky sauce that takes no time at all to prepare. Delicious every time!!
Ingredients
- Homemade Basil Pesto (see step 1)
- 500g spaghetti or other pasta of choice
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- GARNISH:
- freshly grated Parmesan
- fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup pistachio nuts, chopped (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Click for recipe: Homemade Basil Pesto
- Step 2 Prepare a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil. I use about 2 tablespoons of salt. Follow package instructions for cooking times.
- Step 3 Once the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of pasta water. This will be used as part of your sauce.
- Step 4 Drain pasta and add it to a large bowl. (Do not reuse the pot you just cooked the pasta in because it is too hot and will bruise the basil.)
- Step 5 Add a large dollop (about 1 cup to start) of the pesto at a time (don’t add it all at once as you may not need all of it). Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. (The water helps emulsify the pesto.) Blend well. Add more pesto and/or reserved water as needed until you get the consistency you like.(NOTE: You may not need all the reserved pasta water.)
- Step 6 Plate individual servings. Garnish grated Parmesan cheese, freshly ground black pepper and crushed pistachio nuts (optional)
- Step 7 TIP: To store leftover pesto, smooth the surface, cover with a thin layer of olive oil, wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.