This easy pesto pasta sauce is one of the best ways to use up fresh basil before it spoils. It’s also one of the easiest sauces you can make. Store-bought pesto isn’t bad, but fresh pesto is so much better. It’s fresh, lemony, salty and light. My mom would make this when I was in grade school, and it was VERY exciting to see this in the pot.
Ingredients needed for pesto sauce
Pesto recipes vary based on preferences, so this is my favorite rendition of the sauce:
- Use grated or shaved Parmesan – I also like Parmesan Romano blends too, which is commonly available at grocery stores.
- Fresh basil and parsley – don’t use dried! You might as well get store bought pesto if you don’t use fresh herbs! Some recipes only call for basil, and some have spinach included. But for robust pesto, a combo of basil and parsley is my favorite.
- Toasted pine nuts – I know that a bag of these are $7-8 dollars sometimes. But you only need about 1/4 cup of them so you can make pesto quite a few times with one bag, or use it for other recipes. In my opinion, it’s a good item to have stocked in your pantry.
- Fresh lemon – Not everyone includes lemon juice, but I think this is an important addition. It brightens up your pesto and matches the saltiness with some citrus.
- Red pepper flakes – this won’t make your sauce “spicy” if you just add a pinch! It’s a mild bit of heat that will make a difference.
How to toast pine nuts
If you aren’t able to buy pine nuts that are already toasted, just pop them into a dry, small skillet and heat them over medium heat for about three minutes, until they start to smell toasted. Stir them around as you go. They might look a little browned but they won’t be very dark at all. Keep watch!
How to make pesto sauce
Add everything to a food processor except for the olive oil. Here is my food processor that I love. I like to give the ingredients a nice pulse first. I recommend drizzling the olive oil in slowly as you continue to pulse the pesto. However, you can also add the oil in 2-3 increments and that will produce a similar result.
What to use pesto sauce for
Pesto pasta is one of my favorite meals, but you can use pesto for tons of recipes:
- Spread it on garlic bread
- Drop a couple tablespoons into chicken soup
- Add it to your focaccia dough
- Mix it with goat cheese for breadstick dip
- Spread it on a sandwich
If you want to do pasta, any shape works! Just boil some noodles, strain and coat in the sauce.
How to store pesto
Pesto darkens if you leave it out for a while (like avocados). Place in an air tight container and be sure to refrigerate! Use within a couple days – it will NOT stay good for very long.
Other recipes to try
If you liked this easy pesto pasta sauce, try a few others from the blog:
- Healthier Hamburger Helper
- How to Make Panera Bread Mac and Cheese
- Pappardelle alla Vodka with Slow Cooked Chicken
- Slow Cooker Red Wine & Beef Rigatoni
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Easy Pesto Pasta
Equipment
- large pot
- Food processor
- strainer
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta like linguine
- 1 cup basil leaves
- ½ cup parsley
- juice of a lemon
- 3 cloves garlic peeled
- ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan
- ground pepper
- pinch of salt
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the linguine and cool until al-dente, about 6-7 minutes. Strain.1 lb pasta
- In a food processor, add the garlic, pine nuts, basil, parsley, lemon juice, and parmesan. Add a pinch of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Pulse until smooth. Add the olive oil and pulse until smooth again.1 cup basil leaves, ½ cup parsley, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ cup toasted pine nuts, ½ cup olive oil, ¾ cup grated Parmesan, ground pepper, pinch of salt, red pepper flakes, juice of a lemon
- Add the pasta back to the pot and pour the pesto sauce on top. Coat the noodles. Serve with extra red pepper flakes and parmesan.
