This easy Creamy Pesto Pasta recipe is a quick and delicious pasta dish, perfect for weeknights when you are short on time. You can have dinner on the table in the time it takes to boil pasta!
Penne pasta bathed in a rich and creamy pesto sauce makes a luscious but simple dinner that is also easy to bulk up with some extra protein or veggies.
Using pesto in cooking is one of my favourite shortcuts to extra taste and flavour. Making homemade pesto is much easier than you think, so when I have a few minutes I whip some up to stash in the fridge to use in dishes like this creamy pesto pasta to save me some time on days when my time is short!
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe
- 15 minutes of cooking time (or less - see my "Top tips" section)
- budget-friendly
- add in leftovers from the fridge
- change up the flavour by using a different type of pesto
What you need to make creamy pesto pasta
*Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients with exact quantities and detailed instructions
- penne pasta
- olive oil
- garlic cloves
- thickened cream - heavy cream
- milk
- basil pesto - homemade or store-bought pesto
- fresh lemon juice
- salt
*Please see the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients with exact quantities and detailed instructions
How to make creamy pesto pasta
- Gently fry garlic in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Stir in cream and milk.
- Add pesto, lemon juice and salt and stir to combine.
- Bring to a simmer.
- When it has thickened slightly, add in cooked pasta.
- Stir to coat pasta in the creamy sauce and serve.
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Top tips for the best result
- Use another pasta if you prefer, or you could make this even faster if you substitute a quick-cooking pasta like angel hair or fresh pasta from the refrigerated section of the supermarket.
- When you drain the pasta, reserve a little of the pasta water - this is great to use if you need to thin out the sauce.
- Don't forget the cream sauce will thicken as it cools.
Optional addition ideas
- Cherry tomatoes or cooked broccoli.
- Protein like leftover cooked chicken or shrimp (prawns).
Other pestos
Instead of basil pesto, use an alternative pesto recipe for a completely different taste.
- sun-dried tomato pesto
- rocket (arugula) pesto
- red pepper (capsicum) pesto
- pistachio pesto
- spinach pesto
Storage
Store any leftovers of this creamy pesto sauce pasta in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
More easy pesto recipes you may enjoy
Caprese Pasta Salad - with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella pearls (bocconcini) and pine nuts with basil pesto dressing.
Basil Pesto Butter - made just like basil pesto, but using butter instead of the usual olive oil gives you a compound butter that tastes like pesto. It makes the best garlic bread!
Pesto Mayonnaise - the creamy 3 ingredient condiment that goes on everything from burgers to sandwiches!
Pesto Chicken Breast - skinless chicken breasts topped with cream cheese and basil pesto then oven-baked for a fast but tasty low-carb dinner.
📖 Recipe
Creamy Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 400 g penne pasta see my notes
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 cup thickened cream heavy cream
- ½ cup milk
- 4 tablespoon basil pesto
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon cooking salt
- fresh basil leaves optional garnish
- grated parmesan cheese optional garnish
Watch me make this recipe
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.400 g penne pasta
- Meanwhile, in a large pan heat the olive oil over medium heat and fry the garlic for 30 seconds (don't let it brown).2 teaspoon olive oil2 garlic cloves
- Stir in thickened cream and milk.1 cup thickened cream½ cup milk
- Add pesto, lemon juice and salt, stirring to combine and allowing the pesto to melt into the cream mixture.
- Bring to a simmer.
- When it has thickened slightly, add in drained pasta and toss to coat it in the pesto cream sauce.
Notes
- Use a different pasta if you prefer, or make this dish even faster by substituting a quick-cooking pasta like angel hair or fresh pasta from the refrigerated section of the supermarket.
- Reserve some of the pasta water when you drain the pasta - this is great to use if you need to thin out the sauce at the end.
- Don't forget the cream sauce will thicken as it cools.
Want to save this recipe?
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
This was easy to make and the kids loved it too. They are usually picky eaters and there was none left.
That's great Peitra!