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You’ll fall head over heels for this easy pesto pasta! Follow my tips for combining pesto sauce with spaghetti, and it will taste amazing!
Pesto Pasta with Spaghetti
"Make it with that green sauce, Mom!" said my youngest when he saw I was going to cook pasta. He was actually asking me to make spaghetti with pesto. A green sauce. A green something. So I served this epic pasta dinner!
Their siblings also enjoyed this meal! After that first win, recipes using pesto are part of our meal rotation. You can also add protein or veggies to make it a complete meal, and even leftovers taste great the next day, packed in a thermos. Amazing!
Ingredients
What’s not to love about a pasta dinner idea you can make with just three ingredients? You’ll only need my easy pesto sauce without pine nuts or your favorite jarred pesto, spaghetti (or any other pasta), and Parmesan cheese for serving.
How to Make Pesto Spaghetti
Cook the pasta as usual and reserve some cooking water before draining it. To a bowl, add the pesto and the cooked pasta. Using a bowl (instead of the hot pot you used to cook the pasta) will keep the pesto from drying out. Pour the pasta water to help the pesto coat the spaghetti. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and enjoy an epic pasta dinner!
Why Reserve Pasta Water
The pasta water contains starch that the spaghetti releases while cooking. Combining this starched pasta water with pesto sauce emulsifies and yields the perfect consistency to coat the spaghetti evenly.
Recipe Variations
This pesto spaghetti leaves a lot of room for swaps and add-ins, so here are some delicious ways to customize this pasta dish to your family’s taste and needs:
Add chicken
You can combine spaghetti with cooked chicken for a delish pesto chicken pasta. It’s a great way to stretch chicken leftovers!
Add salmon
I also like to make this recipe with pan-seared salmon instead. It’s super fast and a terrific way to add protein to this meal.
Add shrimp and veggies
My shrimp pesto pasta with cherry tomatoes is another nutritious meal you can make in 20 minutes to add protein and veggies!
Make it gluten-free
The only gluten in this meal is the pasta, so swap it for gluten-free spaghetti and that’s all!
Sneak more veggies
My broccoli pesto sauce tastes amazing, and it’s an easy way to sneak in those greens that most kids refuse to eat!
What to Serve with Pesto Pasta
Pesto spaghetti pairs amazingly well with fresh salads, like a simple bruschetta salad. Roasted asparagus or zucchini spears are also great sides. Another family favorite? These deliciously fluffy homemade popovers!
Pesto Spaghetti Pasta (Quick & Easy)
Ingredients
- 6 ounces pesto, (¾ cup)
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 1 cup pasta water, reserved
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
Prep:
- Add the pesto into a large serving or mixing bowl and set aside.
Cook the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the spaghetti and boil according to the package directions. Once the pasta is ready, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Drain the pasta water and transfer the pasta into the large bowl containing the pesto. The pot will be too hot and will dry the pasta.
Combine:
- Pour half of the reserved pasta water into the bowl with the pesto and pasta. Using kitchen tongs, combine the sauce and slowly add more pasta water until the pesto coats all of the spaghetti noodles and you like the consistency of the sauce. I typically use between ¾ and 1 cup of water total.
Serve:
- Serve the pesto spaghetti in pasta bowls topped with Parmesan cheese.
Julia says
I made this pasta with your homemade pesto… awesome! It’s so tasty and easy to make!!
Dayna says
This pesto spaghetti was a winner!
Maria says
Wow! This pesto spaghetti was not only incredibly delicious but so easy to put together! Will definitely be making this pasta recipe again.
June says
Rich & flavorful!
Janet says
This was so tasty! My whole fam loved this pesto pasta!