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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Easy Pesto Pasta

    Updated: Feb 1, 2022 » This post may contain affiliate links » By: Megan » 2 Comments

    Jump to Recipe


    This easy pesto pasta recipe is ready 20 minutes and uses only 5 ingredients. It's full of bright Italian flavors and is finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. 

    easy pesto pasta

    Easy Pesto Pasta Ingredients

    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 12 oz spaghetti
    • ½ cup pesto (or vegan pesto)
    • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
    • ½ lemon, juiced

    How to Make Easy Pesto Pasta

    ? Step 1: Cook the pasta

    Add the salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package’s instructions. 

    ? Step 2: Reserve the pasta water

    Once the pasta is done cooking, drain it and save ½ cup of the water that it was cooked in. 

    ? Step 3: Use the pasta water

    Add the pasta to a large bowl. Pour in the pasta water and toss with the pasta (this should help prevent the pasta from sticking). 

    ? Step 4: add the remaining ingredients: 

    Stir the pesto into the bowl followed by the cherry tomatoes and lemon juice. Add additional salt to taste. 

    ?️ Step 5: Serve 

    Serve hot or cold. Optionally, garnish with parmesan (or a vegan alternative) and chopped basil or parsley.

    easy pesto pasta

    Feeling ambitious? Try your hand at making homemade pasta! Get the full guide: How to Make Italian Pasta from Scratch

    Tips for This Recipe

    Use Your Favorite Noodles

    We've used spaghetti noodles for this recipe, but you can swap them out for 12 - 15 ounces of your favorite noodles. Popular alternatives include: penne, bowtie, or Rotini.

    Cook Your Noodles Al Dente

    For this recipe you'll cook your pasta noodles according to the instructions on their package. Finish cooking the pasta 1 - 2 minutes earlier (sometimes more) when it's just barely cooked so that it's al dente: still firm in the middle. This will allow the pasta to better hold shape when mixed with the other ingredients.

    Mix Everything in a Bowl

    After you drain your pasta noodles, you'll mix them in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. You don't want to mix everything in the pot that the noodles were cooked in because it will be hot, which can cause your pesto to wilt & brown.

    Is Pesto Pasta Vegan?

    Most pesto is not vegan and contains eggs. If you want to make this recipe vegan, use a vegan pesto sauce (like this one) or make your own (like this recipe).

    Print
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    easy pesto pasta

    Easy Pesto Pasta


    ★★★★★

    5 from 6 reviews

    • Author: Megan
    • Total Time: 20 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Easy and fresh, this pesto pasta is ready in 20 minutes and only uses 5 ingredients. It's full of bright Italian flavors and is finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This is a simple dinner that's so tasty it will quickly become a go-to favorite. 


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 12 ounces spaghetti
    • ½ cup pesto (or vegan pesto)
    • 2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
    • ½ lemon (juiced)

    Instructions

    1. Cook the pasta: add the salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package’s instructions. 
    2. Reserve the pasta water: once the pasta is done cooking, drain it and save ½ cup of the water that it was cooked in. 
    3. Use the pasta water: add the pasta to a large bowl. Pour in the pasta water and toss with the pasta (this should help prevent the pasta from sticking). 
    4. Add the remaining ingredients: stir the pesto into the bowl followed by the cherry tomatoes and lemon juice. Add additional salt to taste. 
    5. Serve: serve hot or cold. 
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 10 minutes
    • Category: Main Course
    • Cuisine: Italian Inspired

    Keywords: pasta, pesto, taco spaghetti

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us @her.wholesome.kitchen — we can't wait to see what you've made!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Joan Breckwoldt

      March 22, 2021 at 9:37 pm

      5 stars
      This meal was so fresh yet simple, we all loved it. I’ll definitely make it again soon. Thumbs up!!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    2. Joan Breckwoldt

      August 15, 2021 at 10:29 am

      5 stars
      Our whole family loves this recipe! It always tastes so fresh and the flavor really comes through. I like that it's not too complicated either!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Megan! I love to share easy salad recipes that taste amazing!

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