Creamy Pesto Pasta

This creamy pesto pasta is the one you make when you get home late and can’t be bothered. Basil pesto, a splash of cream and a handful of parmesan, tossed through hot pasta. Twenty minutes, done.

It feeds 4 and you only need a pot for the pasta and a frying pan for the sauce. Use a jar of pesto or your own, either way works.

The quick version

1. Get the pasta water on. Salt it well.
2. While the pasta cooks, soften some garlic in a pan, then add cream and pesto.
3. Scoop out a mug of pasta water before you drain. Don’t forget this bit.
4. Toss the pasta in the sauce with parmesan and a splash of that water. Eat.

That’s really it. The full amounts are in the recipe card below.

Getting the sauce silky

Pesto is basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. On its own it can be a bit oily on pasta. The cream turns it into a proper sauce that coats every bit.

Keep the heat low once the pesto goes in. If it boils hard, the basil goes dark and dull and the oil can split out. A gentle bubble is all you want.

And the pasta water. It’s starchy, so a few spoonfuls loosen the sauce and help it cling. Way better than adding more cream.

Creamy Pesto Pasta

Recipe by Ella McKenzie

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Dinner, MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

people

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

860

kcal

Total time

20

minutes

20

minutes

Hot pasta tossed in a silky sauce of basil pesto, cream, garlic and parmesan, with baby spinach stirred through. Ready in about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• 400 g spaghetti, penne or fettuccine

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• 300 ml thickened cream

• 1/2 cup (130 g) basil pesto

• 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

• 2 big handfuls baby spinach

• Squeeze of lemon juice

• Salt and cracked black pepper

Directions

• Cook the pasta in a big pot of well-salted boiling water until just tender. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
• While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until it smells good but isn’t brown.
• Pour in the cream and bring it to a gentle simmer. Stir in the pesto and keep it on low.
• Add the drained pasta, parmesan and spinach. Toss for a minute until the spinach wilts, adding a splash of pasta water at a time until the sauce is silky.
• Finish with a squeeze of lemon, then season with salt and pepper. Serve straight away with extra parmesan.

Notes

• Save the pasta water: it’s what makes the sauce glossy instead of greasy.
• Keep it low: don’t boil the sauce once the pesto is in, or it turns dark and oily.
• Lighter version: use light cooking cream or half cream and half milk.
• Taste first: jarred pesto is often salty, so taste before adding any salt.

Things to add

If it goes wrong

• Sauce is oily or split: it got too hot. Take it off the heat and stir in a splash of pasta water, it usually comes back together.
• Too thick: more pasta water, a spoon at a time.
• Bland: more salt, more parmesan, and the lemon. The lemon makes a big difference.
• Pesto went dark: it boiled. Add it later next time, right at the end, and keep the heat low.

Leftovers

Keep it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Cream sauces thicken up overnight, so reheat it in a pan with a splash of milk or water and stir until it loosens.

It doesn’t freeze well though. The cream goes grainy once it thaws.

Frequently asked questions

That’s creamy pesto pasta sorted. Keep a jar of pesto in the fridge and you’ve always got a dinner up your sleeve.

Enjoy,
Ella x