Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Pesto Pasta – with plenty of pesto sauce! Recipe
Anybody could make a Pesto Pasta, however not everybody is aware of learn how to make a pesto pasta that’s slick with loads of pesto sauce with out including tons of additional oil! Right here’s how I make it.
Do that with do-it-yourself pesto. It’s wonderful!
In case you’ve ever made pesto pasta and located that it a bit on the dry facet, then tried to salvage it by including increasingly more olive oil solely to finish up with an excessively greasy pasta, you’ll love the approach I’m sharing at the moment:
It’ll skinny out the pesto so it coats every thing properly and creates a shiny pesto sauce that coats each little bit of pasta. The starch within the water emulsifies with the pesto, which merely means the fats within the pesto + starch within the water thickens. Identical to whenever you shake up salad dressings – similar factor. 🙂
It’s the “correct” solution to make pastas, a way utilized in each Italian family and eating places all around the world. Common readers listed here are sick of studying about it – I write about it in each pasta recipe, from Shredded Beef Ragu to basic Bolognese, to Spaghetti Marinara!
And THAT is the key to creating a JUICY pesto pasta that’s slick with pesto sauce with out including tons and tons of additional oil!
However I do have my preferences. My favorite is penne or ziti (which is simply penne with a easy floor). I discover it’s the best to toss for even distribution and also you get the “juiciest” pesto pasta.
Spaghetti and different skinny(-ish) lengthy strand pastas are my subsequent favorite. I discover that it’s not fairly as simple to toss the pesto via and the extra you’re employed the pasta, the much less saucy it turns into (although you simply maintain including pasta cooking water, however there’s solely a lot you possibly can add).
Twirls and different shapes with “crevices” charge decrease simply because there’s much more floor space so one way or the other, I simply really feel a bit pesto disadvantaged.
I say that pesto pasta is among the easiest pastas to make, however I do have a number of tricks to share – classes realized from my very own errors!
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Toss in a bowl, not the pot you cooked the pasta in – basil doesn’t like warmth. It turns black. The warmth from the pasta is okay – however when you add the warmth from the pot, the basil gained’t prefer it.
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Don’t toss on the range! Once more – black basil.
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Salt the water – Pesto normally isn’t (and shouldn’t be) seasoned sufficient such that you just don’t want so as to add some other salt as soon as tossed via pasta. The easiest way to season Pesto Pasta is to salt the water.
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DO NOT REHEAT leftover pesto pasta! Once more – black pesto. 😭 Eat at room temp – that’s the perfect you are able to do.
I’m sharing these recommendations on the belief that you just’re utilizing a do-it-yourself pesto (basil or in any other case). I really haven’t used retailer purchased pesto sufficient to know if it should flip black from warmth.
These recipe steps apply regardless of what sort of pesto you might be utilizing – basil, rocket/arugula, spinach and many others – there’s a pleasant listing of choices in my do-it-yourself pesto recipe. The picture beneath is a rocket/arugula and walnut pesto – I like the mixture of the spicy rocket and barely bitter walnuts.
No matter sort pf pesto you utilize, ending with a pleasant sprinkle of parmesan just isn’t optionally available! – Johnsat x
Attempt these on the facet
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Caprese Salad – juicy tomato and pops of tartness from the balsamic glaze are an excellent match!
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Any salad or steamed greens with Italian Dressing or Balsamic Dressing
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Toss some halved cherry tomatoes into the pasta, and/or a handful of spinach or rocket/arugula
And for Pasta Monsters
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Everyone’s favorite on a regular basis Bolognese
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Gradual Cooked Shredded Beef Ragu or do that Italian Sausage and Beef Ragu
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Baked Ziti – the mom of all pasta bakes!
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Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta
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Alfredo Pasta
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Pasta alla Norma – Sicilian eggplant, tomato and basil pasta
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Browse all pasta recipes
Ingredients
- 1 quantity homemade pesto (Note 1)
- 300 – 350 g / 10 – 12 oz pasta of choice (ziti, penne and spaghetti are my favourites, Note 2)
- 2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup pasta cooking water
- Parmesan, for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the salt.
- Add pasta and cook for the length of time per the packet.
- Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of of the pasta cooking water.
- Drain pasta in a colander, leave it for a minute.
- Transfer pasta to a bowl (do not use pasta cooking pot, too hot).
- Add pesto and 1/4 cup of pasta water. Toss to coat pasta in pesto, adding more water if required to make pasta silky and saucy, rather than dry and sticky.
- Taste, add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve immediately, garnished with fresh parmesan.
Notes
1. Pesto – This recipe is intended for use with this homemade pesto which I also shared today. But the same technique applies to store bought. If using store bought, use 1/2 cup+. Usually require less than when using homemade because they have a more concentrated flavour from basil extract.
2. Pasta – Ziti and penne are my favourites for pesto (explained in post). Spaghetti is next, then other long strand pastas.
Use 300g/10oz for a really great coating of pesto sauce – 3 large servings, 4 smallish servings.
Use up to 350g/12oz for “normal” amount of pesto sauce to pasta – 4 standard servings.
Don’t use more pasta for one batch of homemade pesto, the pasta will lack pesto flavour.
3. General:
Never toss pesto pasta on a hot stove, heat will make basil black!
Some people like a squeeze of lemon juice to finish
Leftovers – store in fridge in super airtight container
Do not reheat leftovers – will also make basil black. Just bring to room temp then consume – pesto pasta at room temp is so good!
Did You Make This Recipe?
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