Italian
Creamy Pesto Pasta
Short pasta is coated with basil pesto loosened by a little cream, then folded with peas and parmesan. It is a meatless bowl, and the richness comes from the pesto oil rather than a long simmer.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- A small amount of cream softens the raw edge of jarred or homemade pesto.
- Peas ride along in the pasta water, so they cook without a separate pan.
- The sauce is warmed, not boiled, which keeps the basil green.
- Pasta water is the loose-it lever if the pesto looks pasty.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Add the cavatappi and cook until just short of al dente, usually 8 to 10 minutes.
- 2
Add the frozen peas for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cook. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and peas together.
- 3
In the empty pot, combine the pesto and cream over low heat. Stir for about 1 minute, until warm and loose. Do not let it boil.
- 4
Add the drained pasta and peas. Toss with 1/3 cup pasta water.
- 5
Add the parmesan and pepper. Toss until the cheese melts and the sauce coats the pasta, about 1 minute. Add more pasta water if it tightens.
- 6
Taste for salt. Pesto and parmesan are both salty, so add salt only if a noodle tastes flat. Serve right away.
Pro tips
- Keep the heat low once the pesto is in the pot. A boil dulls the basil and can make the cream look broken.
- If your pesto is very thick and oily, start with 1/3 cup and add more only if the pasta looks pale.
- Salt the pasta water well. This sauce does not get a long simmer to season the noodles.
Easy substitutions
- heavy cream
- 3 tbsp butter plus extra pasta water
- frozen peas
- 1 cup chopped asparagus, added for the last 3 minutes
- cavatappi
- penne or fusilli
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. The pesto darkens slightly and the pasta absorbs the sauce.
Reheating
Warm over low heat with a splash of water or milk, stirring until creamy again. Do not boil.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 590
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 68 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
Moderate · Stovetop
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