A delicious and comforting bowl of pasta – fresh spaghetti smothered in a cream, chilli, garlic and pesto sauce. Perfect for a vegetarian pasta night!
Let’s face it. A bowl of deliciously creamy pasta? Yes Please. A bowl of deliciously creamy pasta WITH loads of pesto? Duh!
No one can say no to this herbaceous, rich, creamy dreamy pasta. In fact, make double batches and stash them in the fridge as part of your weekly meal prep.
How do you make Creamy Pesto Pasta Sauce
It is so easy to make this creamy pesto pasta sauce! This pesto pasta sauce sticks perfectly to the pasta by adding the cream and a touch of starchy pasta water. Not only is this pasta dish fresh and zesty because of the pesto, but it is also indulgent and creamy because of heavy dairy cream and parmesan cheese. And we all need a bit of that every now and then, don’t we?
These ingredients make the best creamy pesto pasta sauce:
- Heavy cream
- Pesto – I always recommend Pesto Princess
- Parmesan
- Chilli
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- And of course fresh spaghetti!
Simply fry finely chopped onion, garlic and chilli with olive oil until fragrant. Then add the heavy cream and bring it to boil to reduce slightly.
Lower the heat, and add the pesto while mixing it through the cream. You can allow it to reduce slightly more, before adding the cooked pasta. Add a tablespoon or two starchy pasta water to help the sauce coat the pasta. Finally, remove from heat and add grated parmesan cheese and a dash of lemon juice.
What Pasta can I use for pesto pasta sauce?
For this Creamy Pesto Pasta, I decided to use fresh spaghetti, because I really wanted that “slurp” action and it’s delicious! I absolutely love making fresh pasta from scratch. I always use this recipe to make fresh pasta, and it turns out perfect every time.
However, any other type of dried pasta will work well with a creamy pesto pasta sauce. Flat and thick pappardelle pasta will be the perfect vessel for the sauce, or a penne pasta is also great to use – especially if you are making extra for the week ahead.
This recipe is pretty versatile in that you can add any type of protein or veggies of your choice. From slices of medium rare ribeye steak, or shredded chicken from a rotisserie chicken roast, stir fry or oven baked veggies – you get the idea!
More Easy Pasta Recipes:
Spaghetti with Chicken, Mushrooms and Zucchini
Roasted Butternut and Cauliflower Tagliatelle with Herbed Creme Fraiche
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| Prep Time | 10 min |
| Cook Time | 15 min |
| Servings | servings |
- 1/2 onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 small birds eye chilli finely chopped
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1 cup cream
- 4 tablespoons basil pesto I always use Pesto Princess
- 4 tablespoons grated parmesan save some for topping
- 1 batch fresh pasta cut into spaghetti
- salt and black pepper to taste
Ingredients
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- Prepare to boil the fresh pasta with boiling salted water. Allow to cook until al dente, set the pasta water aside after cooking.
- Fry the finely chopped onion, garlic and chilli with olive oil until fragrant for a few minutes.
- Add the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of cooked pasta water and allow to reduce and thicken for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from heat and mix through the pesto and parmesan, as well as the cooked pasta. Season to taste and serve with extra grated parmesan and pesto.
I always use this recipe for Homemade Spaghetti.
You can always use less or more Pesto, depending on your preference. The more the merrier!
