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More Perfect Pasta Recipes
3-Ingredient Pesto Pasta
Quick and easy pesto pasta is one of my midweek lifesavers. I cook the pasta, toss it with fresh pesto – homemade or store-bought – and finish with a splash of pasta water, butter and plenty of parmesan. It’s fast, full of flavour, and endlessly adaptable with whatever veg or protein I have on hand. Whether I’m short on time or just craving something simple and satisfying, this recipe always delivers comfort with minimal effort. A proper kitchen staple.
Ingredients
- 400g of pasta
- 4 tbsp salted butter
- 6 tbsp pesto
- Salt and pepper, to season
- Hard Italian cheese, to serve
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to packet instructions until al dente. Reserve 125ml (1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Return the pasta to the pot and stir through the pesto and butter while it’s still hot, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water as needed to create a silky, clinging sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and top with freshly grated hard Italian cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
- The starchy pasta water is the secret to bringing the sauce together, so don’t skip it.
- You can use any pesto you like – classic basil, sundried tomato, or even baby spinach pesto like the photos – to change up the flavour.
- This is also a great base to add extras like grilled chicken, roasted veg, or a handful of rocket.
What I Cook With
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 387Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 354mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g
Please note, this nutrition information is to be used as a guide only. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
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Quick & Easy Pesto Pasta
Unexpected Guests – Just Not The Pantry Type
It’s a situation we’ve all been in. You’re halfway through folding laundry or faffing about online, and the doorbell rings. It’s unexpected guests, and they’re hungry. Panic stations! But this is exactly why I always keep a good jar of pesto in the fridge – my Quick and Easy Pesto Pasta has rescued me more times than I can count. It’s the kind of cheat recipe that makes you look effortlessly brilliant – rich, creamy, and full of flavour with next to no effort. It’s practically culinary magic.
What makes this dish even better is it’s entirely kid-friendly. There’s no complicated ingredients, no strong or confronting flavours. Just pasta, cream, pesto, and a whole lot of delicious making it the kind of meal that hushes a noisy table and gets those little heads nodding with every bite. And for adults? Well, with the right pesto, this simple dish becomes a surprisingly luxurious midweek dinner.
Over the years, I’ve tried every pesto under the sun in this dish. Classic basil. Punchy carrot top, baby spinach pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto for something rich and robust, or my gloriously green kale pesto when I want something fresher. The best thing about pesto is how much personality it brings to a dish. And when stirred through a bit of cream? Oh, the sauce becomes dreamy. You don’t need much else, which is precisely the point.
Pantry Staples, Lifesavers and Plans
Let me tell you why I’m always banging on about keeping pesto in the fridge. It’s not just about the flavour (though, honestly, that alone is worth it) – it’s about being prepared. I make big batches when I can – whizzing up whatever greens and nuts I have on hand – and stash it in jars. Some get gifted to friends and family, but most stay tucked away for days when energy is low, or guests are high.
This week, it’s the kale version getting a workout. It’s what I’ve used in today’s Quick and Easy Pesto Pasta, and it’s singing with flavour. Slightly grassy, sharp with garlic, and mellowed out with cheese and oil. I swear, kale gets such a bad rap but blitz it into pesto and suddenly it’s a hero. The cream rounds it all out so it doesn’t lean too green. Just lovely.
And I’ll be honest, I’m not just making easy pasta right now because of surprise guests. I’m also not feeling great. Chest pain, fever, the works. I’m lying low, hoping it’s not Covid-19. The world feels very scary right now, and there’s talk of lockdowns and I can’t deal with it. I have plans – big ones. The kind that involve change and freedom and finally getting out of this awful relationship. I just need the world to hold still for one more month…
The Pasta That Keeps Giving
The beauty of this Quick and Easy Pesto Pasta is that it’s infinitely customisable. Some days I fry up a bit of pancetta and throw it in for extra saltiness. Other times I flake through some hot smoked salmon for a bit of luxury. If I’ve got leftover roast chicken, that works too. It’s like this pasta says, “Bring what you’ve got” and it always turns out well.
But it doesn’t need anything extra either which is the real joy of it. The pesto, whatever version you’re using, does all the heavy lifting. It brings herbs, cheese, nuts, and oil to the table in one neat scoop. Stir it through warm pasta and cream, and it turns into a silky, complex sauce that tastes far more effortful than it actually is. It’s the ultimate “I cooked” without really cooking meal.
When I say this recipe has been in my box for years, I mean it. I’ve made it for friends, for dates, for fussy toddlers (my nieces once upon a time!), and for myself after long, knackered days. It’s comfort food, but grown up. Easy, but clever. And on days like today, when the world feels like it might tip sideways again, it’s nice to have something familiar, something that doesn’t ask too much of you. Just a pot of boiling water, a good stir, and dinner is done.
Ingredients Breakdown
We start with a generous pot of pasta – whatever shape you have on hand will do, though I lean towards short, sauce-catching varieties like fusili or spirali. A splash of olive oil in the pan helps soften finely diced onion until it’s translucent and sweet, forming a fragrant base for the sauce to cling to. It might not seem like much, but it adds a lovely depth under the pesto.
Next comes the magic: pesto and cream. You want a good dollop of pesto, whichever kind you love most – kale pesto, sundried tomato pesto, baby spinach pesto, whatever, stirred through with heavy cream until it all melds into a silky, herby sauce. The cream balances the punchiness of the pesto and turns it into something comforting and rich. A good grind of salt and pepper rounds it off and ties everything together beautifully.
To finish, I always grate over a generous handful of hard Italian cheese. Pecorino, parmesan, or whatever I have in the fridge that tastes nutty and sharp. It adds that final flourish of saltiness and richness that makes a bowl of pasta feel like a proper meal. Served hot, it’s one of those dishes that looks simple but hits all the right notes.
Good recipe ! Try this tomorrow for sure
Mélisange xx http://www.akahotsauce.com
Oh sounds so good thanks for this recipe!
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
I hope you enjoy it!! Thanks for stopping by xx
This looks really good!
Jessica | notjessfashion.com
Thanks dear – I feel these photos really don’t do the pasta justice, and I just couldn’t get the lighting right 🙁
Oh this pasta dish sounds beyond delicious! I would love to try this recipe out xo
Makeup Muddle
Thank you! Let me know if you get the chance and which pesto you used!! My favourite is Sundried Tomato pesto for this recipe 🙂 x