The Ultimate Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe: A 30-Minute Wonder

Are you on the hunt for the ideal weeknight dinner? We know the feeling – you need something that is swift to prepare, bursting with flavour, and hearty enough to make the whole family happy. We’ve all had those moments, peering into the cupboard after a busy day, searching for inspiration to create something wonderful without spending ages cooking. So, what if we said you could have a bowl of rich, vibrant, and utterly delightful pasta on the table in less than half an hour? That’s precisely where our definitive Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe comes in. It’s a true game-changer, elevating a simple jar of pesto and a touch of cream into a luxurious dish that feels like it’s been served in a charming Italian restaurant.

This recipe is far more than a convenient meal; it’s about crafting a moment of genuine comfort. The glorious fusion of bright, aromatic basil pesto with a smooth, velvety cream sauce coats every single piece of pasta, ensuring a perfect mouthful, every single time. It’s a dish we find ourselves returning to time and again, and we’re certain it will become a cherished favourite in your household as well.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Ready in a Flash: From putting the pan on the hob to serving at the table, this entire meal is ready in under 30 minutes, making it the perfect choice for hectic evenings.
• Luxuriously Creamy: We achieve a wonderfully rich and satisfying sauce using a simple blend of double cream and Parmesan cheese that never feels too heavy.
• Fantastically Versatile: This recipe serves as an excellent foundation. You can enjoy it as a simple vegetarian dish or personalise it by adding cooked chicken, prawns, or even roasted vegetables.
• Simple Ingredients, Big Flavour: You only require a few cupboard staples to put together a meal that is brimming with the fresh, fragrant notes of basil, garlic, and Parmesan.
• A Family-Friendly Favourite: This dish is a guaranteed winner for everyone. The comforting appeal of creamy pasta, paired with the lively taste of pesto, is adored by grown-ups and children alike.

Ingredients

• 400g of your favourite pasta (we love fusilli, penne, or tagliatelle)
• 200ml double cream
• 150g fresh basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
• 75g freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 120ml reserved pasta water
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste, as pesto and Parmesan are salty)
• A handful of fresh basil leaves, for garnish (optional)
• Toasted pine nuts, for garnish (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Putting together this gorgeous dish is incredibly straightforward! We will guide you through every stage to guarantee flawless results each time.

1. Cook the Pasta: Fill a large pot with salted water and bring it to a vigorous boil. Tip in your pasta and cook it following the packet instructions until it is al dente (retaining a slight bite). Right before you drain it, carefully save about 240ml (one mug) of the starchy cooking water. This is our secret to achieving a silky sauce! Drain the pasta and leave it to one side.
2. Start the Sauce: While your pasta is cooking, set a large frying pan or skillet over a medium heat. Pour in the olive oil or add the butter. Once warm, add the minced garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds until it becomes fragrant. Take care not to let it brown, as this can make the sauce taste bitter.
3. Make it Creamy: Pour the double cream into the pan with the fragrant garlic. Bring it to a gentle simmer and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes, which will help it to thicken up a little. Turn the heat down to low.
4. Combine and Conquer: Add the basil pesto and grated Parmesan cheese to the cream sauce, stirring until the cheese is completely melted and everything is smoothly incorporated. Season with your salt and pepper. If the sauce looks a bit too thick, pour in a little (around 60ml) of the reserved pasta water to loosen it.
5. Bring It All Together: Tip the drained pasta into the skillet containing the sauce. Gently toss everything together until each strand or shape of pasta is lavishly coated in the creamy pesto mixture. If you feel it needs it, add another splash of pasta water to get the consistency just right.
6. Serve Immediately: Portion the pasta into warm bowls. Garnish with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan, a few fresh basil leaves, and some toasted pine nuts for a delightful textural contrast. Serve and enjoy right away!

Fancy Making Your Own Pesto?

Although a high-quality shop-bought pesto works beautifully, there’s truly nothing that compares to the zesty, vibrant taste of a homemade version. If you can spare a few extra moments, our easy basil pesto recipe is certainly worth the small effort. Just whizz the following ingredients together in a food processor until you have a smooth consistency:

• 50g fresh basil leaves
• 40g pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 40g grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• A pinch of salt and black pepper

Mastering the Perfect Pesto Cream Sauce

The very soul of this recipe is the wonderful pesto cream sauce. The secret to its brilliance is found in the perfect balance of ingredients and the method used to bring them together. The richness from the double cream beautifully tempers the intense, herbaceous notes of the pesto, while the Parmesan contributes a savoury, salty character that unites all the flavours.

Perhaps the most vital piece of advice we can offer is to make use of the starchy pasta water. As pasta boils, it releases starches, turning the cooking water into a potent tool for sauce-making. This liquid is like gold when it comes to creating sauces. It aids in emulsifying the sauce, which means the fats from the cream, cheese, and oil bind with the water. This process results in a glossy, smooth sauce that beautifully clings to the pasta, rather than creating a puddle in the bowl. As the experts at Serious Eats explain, this one simple technique is key to making restaurant-standard pasta in your own kitchen.

Variations and Delicious Add-ins

This creamy pesto pasta provides a brilliant backdrop for your culinary imagination. Here are some of our favourite ways to customise the dish:

Hearty Chicken Pesto Pasta

To make the classic chicken pesto pasta, all you need to do is add cooked chicken. You could use leftover roast chicken, pan-sear a chicken breast and dice it into bite-sized chunks, or for an incredibly swift meal, use shredded rotisserie chicken. Simply stir your cooked chicken into the sauce right before adding the pasta to let it warm through properly.

A Vibrant Vegetarian Pesto Dinner

This recipe is already a fantastic option for a vegetarian pesto dinner. To take it to the next level, we suggest adding some roasted vegetables. Cherry tomatoes, courgettes, bell peppers, and asparagus all complement the flavours perfectly. Just roast them with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper until they are tender, then fold them into the finished pasta dish.

Can This Be a One Pot Pesto Pasta?

For those of us who prefer less washing up, you can certainly adapt this into a one pot pesto pasta. To achieve this, you would cook the pasta in a large, wide pan with just enough water or stock to cover it. As the pasta cooks, the liquid will naturally reduce and become starchy. Once the pasta is al dente, you can stir the cream, pesto, and cheese directly into the same pan. This technique requires a close eye on the liquid level, but the reward is a deeply flavourful meal with only a single pot to clean.

FAQ

More Delicious Pasta Dishes to Try

We’re firm believers that one can never have too many wonderful pasta recipes. If you had fun preparing our creamy pesto pasta, we are confident you will also adore some of our other creations. For another dish that is incredibly simple yet refined, why not give our Creamy Garlic Penne Pasta a go? Or, for a night when you’re in the mood for something richer and more substantial, our Parmesan Garlic Beef Bowtie Pasta is an absolute delight.

Conclusion

So there we have it – a straightforward, elegant, and incredibly tasty Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe that we’re sure will earn a regular spot in your meal planning. It’s proof that you don’t require complex ingredients or a lot of time to produce a meal that feels truly special. This dish provides comfort, flavour, and happiness in every single forkful, making it the ideal response to the age-old question, “What shall we have for dinner?”

We genuinely hope you enjoy creating and eating this pasta as much as we do. Feel free to experiment with different additions, have a go at making your own pesto, and truly make this recipe your own!

Have you tried this recipe? We would be thrilled to hear how it went! Please leave a comment and a rating below to share your experience with us and fellow food lovers. Happy cooking!

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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 400g pasta (fusilli, penne, or tagliatelle recommended)
• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 200ml double cream
• 150g fresh basil pesto
• 75g freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
• 120ml reserved pasta water (or more as needed)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• Optional Garnish: Fresh basil leaves and toasted pine nuts

Instructions

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, reserve about 240ml of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30-60 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to brown it.
3. Pour in the double cream, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook for 2-3 minutes to thicken slightly. Reduce the heat to low.
4. Stir in the basil pesto and grated Parmesan cheese until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Toss gently until the pasta is completely coated. Add more pasta water as needed to achieve a silky consistency.
6. Serve immediately in warm bowls, garnished with extra Parmesan, fresh basil leaves, and toasted pine nuts if desired.

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: —, Carbs: — g, Protein: — g, Fat: — g