The BEST Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe (15 Minutes!)
This creamy pesto pasta recipe is a quick and delicious dinner the whole family will love. All you need are 7 simple ingredients and 15 minutes. The perfect recipe for busy weeknights!
Table of Contents
Watch The Recipe Video
Note: You can also watch this recipe video on YouTube.
What Makes This Recipe Great
Too busy for complicated weeknight dinners, but still want a delicious meal that is ready FAST? I’ve got you covered! From walking into the kitchen to walking out of the kitchen with a warm bowl of this Creamy Pesto Pasta, it will take you 15 minutes or less. I promise you, I timed myself. And that even includes the boiling time for the water!
I use fettuccine pasta, but in the past, I’ve used faster cooking pasta like spaghetti, angel hair, or shells, which take even less time.
If you have some leftover chicken or veggies, throw them in as well. This quick and easy creamy pesto pasta dinner is so yummy and totally kid-approved! It will make your kids think you got takeout from an Italian restaurant!
Easy ingredients, easy recipe, the perfect family meal!
Homemade Pesto vs. Storebought Pesto
In the summer, when my basis is overflowing, I love to use my homemade basil pesto recipe to make the creamy sauce. However, I have found that store-bought works as well to make a creamy pesto sauce!
Pro tip: I find that refrigerated store-bought pesto has a better flavor than shelf-stable pesto. Trader Joe’s sells a delicious pesto in their refrigerated section, which you can see in the ingredient photo above!
Ingredient Notes
Homemade Pesto Sauce
- Basil Leaves: For this recipe, you’ll need to use fresh basil.
- Olive Oil: I like to use extra virgin olive oil because it adds a great flavor to the pesto.
- Roasted, Unsalted Pine Nuts: If you’re allergic to nuts, you can skip these, however, they really do add a lot of flavor, so if there is no allergy, make sure to use pine nuts.
- Garlic Cloves: You can buy already peeled cloves or peel them yourself! The fresher, the better.
- Salt: Use whatever you have on hand. I love kosher salt!
Pesto Cream Sauce
- Milk & Heavy Cream: Feel free to substitute these for non-dairy alternatives if you prefer.
- Parmesan Cheese: Use grated or fresh, whichever you prefer.
- Pasta: I use fettuccine pasta, but in the past, I’ve used faster cooking pasta like spaghetti, angel hair, or shells, which take even less time.
- Pesto: Either homemade or store-bought!
Plus, your pasta of choice! Penne pasta, fettucini, spaghetti, or whatever shape you love!
Step-by-Step Instructions
How to Make Homemade Pesto
- In a food processor, combine the basil, pine nuts, garlic, and salt. Pulse until all the ingredients are finely chopped. Add in the olive oil, and blend until combined. If needed, add in more olive oil until desired consistency.
- To prevent the top of the pesto sauce from turning brown as it sits in the fridge (oxidizing), pour on enough olive oil to cover the whole top. This will prevent oxygen from reaching the pesto sauce and will keep it green. Not necessary, for looks only.
- Store in a wide-mouth pint mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 year. I store my dairy-free pesto in wide-mouth pint mason jars since they’re freezer-friendly!
*for more details & a how-to video for homemade dairy-free pesto, click here!
How to Make Creamy Pesto Pasta
- Boil a large pot of water over high heat. Season the water generously with salt, and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. If you prefer al dente pasta, take one minute off the cooking time.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the butter and garlic. Cook for 30-60 seconds until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the heavy cream, milk, and pesto. Stir and cook for 1 minute to warm through. Turn the heat to low, then add in the parmesan cheese. Stir until it is melted.
- Grab the cooked pasta with tongs out of the boiling water and add it directly to the sauce. Toss to combine. Add pasta water if the sauce needs to be thinned out.
- Serve this creamy pesto pasta warm, garnished with parmesan cheese.
Expert Tips
- Pasta: I love my creamy pesto sauce smothered over fettuccine noodles, but use whatever pasta you have on hand and love. You can also use gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Adding Protein: For extra protein, add your favorite meat or seafood to this pasta. Creamy pesto sauce goes great over chicken breasts, shrimp, etc.
- Garnish: You can top your pasta with any of your favorite garnishes– additional salt or black pepper, grated parmesan cheese, or red pepper flakes for extra spice. Some people also like to top it with sliced cherry tomatoes– yum!
- Dairy-Free & Vegan: You can make this creamy pesto pasta & sauce recipe dairy-free if needed.
- Use ghee or plant-based/vegan butter in place of regular butter.
- Use dairy-free pesto (my recipe for homemade pesto is dairy-free!).
- Substitute the original flavor Nutpods in place of the cream and milk.
- Measure the same quantities for all substitutions.
Storage Tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop until warm. Add a little water or butter to the dish to break up the pasta and get that creamy texture back.
To freeze, place leftovers in an airtight, freezer-safe container and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Thaw, reheat, and serve with your favorite garnishes.
Recipe FAQs
Pesto by itself is amazing on eggs, avocado toast, and sandwiches and makes a great dip. This creamy pesto sauce is the perfect topping for multiple types of meat and protein and a variety of pasta dishes. It would even go great in a casserole! Pesto is so versatile!
This recipe is not keto because of the Fettuccine pasta. However, you can make this creamy pesto pasta with Natural Heaven Hearts of Palm pasta to make it low-carb!
More Creamy Pasta Recipes!
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The BEST Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe (15 Minutes!)
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 cloves of garlic, grated or finely minced
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- kosher salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Boil a large pot of water over high heat. Season the water generously with salt, and cook the pasta according to the manufacturers instructions.
- Heat a large skillet over medium low heat. Add in the butter and garlic. Cook for 30-60 seconds until the garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the heavy cream, milk and pesto. Stir and cook for 1 minute to warm through. Turn heat to low, then add in the parmesan cheese. Stir until it is melted.
- Grab the cooked pasta with tongs out of the boiling water and add it directly to the sauce. Toss to combine. Add pasta water if the sauce needs to be thinned out.
- Serve warm, garnished with parmesan cheese.
- See the Recipe Notes below for more tips, FAQ's and ingredient substitutions.
Notes
Expert Tips
- Pasta: I love my creamy pesto sauce smothered over fettuccine noodles, but use whatever pasta you have on hand and love. You can also use gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Adding Protein: For extra protein, add your favorite meat or seafood to this pasta. Creamy pesto sauce goes great over chicken breasts, shrimp, etc.
- Garnish: You can top your pasta with any of your favorite garnishes– additional salt or black pepper, grated parmesan cheese, or red pepper flakes for extra spice. Some people also like to top it with sliced cherry tomatoes– yum!
- Dairy-Free & Vegan: You can make this creamy pesto pasta & sauce recipe dairy-free if needed.
- Use ghee or plant-based/vegan butter in place of regular butter.
- Use dairy-free pesto (my recipe for homemade pesto is dairy-free!).
- Substitute the original flavor Nutpods in place of the cream and milk.
- Measure the same quantities for all substitutions.
69 Comments on “The BEST Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe (15 Minutes!)”
This pasta looks so creamy and delicious! The pesto must add some wonderful flavor to that creaminess!
Nat, what a delicious pasta! Honestly, wow is all I can say! It looks so tasty and amazing!
This pasta is amazing! Literally my go-to comfort dish, love creamy pesto pastas! Now I’m really craving this for dinner! Lovely recipe, thanks for sharing!
This pasta is calling my name! Talk about comfort food, I bet my hubby would love this too! Love how fast it is to make. I bet it would make a great side too :-)
Yum, I am such a sucker for quick cook things! Looks delicious!
Heeehhhh :) Yep, know what you mean. Our office calls those peeps “the crazies”, we sure get some doozies that’s for sure. It is just me or are “the crazies” gaining force. What was once a really, really random response from people seems to be more common. Sort of sad really.
OMG, I deal with strange people like that as well at my job. Some people are just crazy like that. :)
Love this recipe Natalie. It’s practical and delicious. Enjoy your weekend friend.
Haha I can totally relate to the customer service thing. Some people are strange! I used to work at a bank when I was in college and sometimes I thought to myself am I getting punked, like seriously?
I’m loving this pasta recipe, Natalie! There’s something so comforting about a creamy pasta dish. The fact that it’s ready in 15 minutes is amazing! Pinning this :)
Oh, you must have some really fun days at work :)……I love this recipe and that video is outstanding! Good job, Natalie :)
Yum! I love how fast this is! Any cream sauce with pasta is A+ in my book. That lady feels as passionate about UPS and I do about USPS, lol. Although I don’t think I’d go on a rant about it. I bet you hear it all!
Aren’t people strange sometimes?! I try very hard to just smile and “kill them with kindness” but some times that can be very difficult! But I really love how easy this pasta is! I tried a “creamy pesto sauce” for the blog a couple weeks ago and it was terrible..way too much pesto, I tried to go low calorie and used milk instead cream and it all curdled! :( But! I am definitely making this! It sounds amazing!
Hahaha can’t believe what some people say, you have the funniest work stories girl :) Maybe all he needed was some of this creamy pesto pasta because it looks fabulous! Love that it only takes 15 minutes and if it gets my fella to do all that then I’m totally sold! :)
LOL!!!! That’s hilarious about the UPS guy… however… that is exactly how I feel about Dish Network, so I completely understand. Haha, we all have our issues. This pasta looks delish!! Much better than the boring lunch I have waiting for me :(
The creamier the better is right :). My hubby will be gone this weekend and I already know what I’ll be eating in the meantime. I just adore simple meals like this one – all the flavors really get to shine and I am all for curling up on the couch, pulling up Netflix and holding a big bowlful of this yumminess in my hands! Yay for fall and pasta!!
I love the simplicity of these! They look like a great weeknight dinner!
You had me at 15 minutes! Total yum – I would eat pasta every night if I could…or actually if my butt could take it:)
This looks delicious and so easy for a quick weeknight dinner!
Good heavens! Who knew a shipping company could elicit such a strong reaction?! I can only imagine the calls you get . . . in my time working with the general public (as a cashier at a craft store, then a bookstore), I certainly had my share of crazies. I can only imagine how nuts people are on the phone!
This pasta looks delicious! We’ve gotten quite into pesto around here, and I try to remember to keep a little jar in the house at all times. I’m still working on our “must have” grocery list from week to week . . .
Hahaha! That convo totally made me laugh. The things some people say, I tell ya…
And this pasta—OMG pesto pasta is totally my fav way to eat pasta and I am in LOVE with these creamy good ‘lookin noodles! All I’d have to do is throw in some cooked chicken and dinner’s on the table! Love it. :)
Sounds like you get some good laughs at work! This pesto pasta looks so incredible, Natalie! Pesto is my absolute favorite. I always try to order that whenever I go out for Italian. I love how easy this is, too. Perfect for a week night meal! Can’t wait to try this out. Pinned!