Basil Pesto Pasta Recipe

This is a delicious, vegetarian pasta recipe packed with the flavor of fresh basil and walnut pesto. Learn how to make pesto pasta at home in a few simple steps.

📝 Ingredients

• 200 gram penne pasta (approx 2 Cups)
• 6 Cup water
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 Cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 Cup walnuts
• 1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 Cup extra virgin olive oil
• 4 - 6 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Cup cherry tomato, cut into halves
• 2 - 4 tablespoon heavy cream (optional)
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped walnuts

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1--- Cook Pasta: ---
2. 2Boil water in a saucepan with salt. Add the desired shape of pasta and cook till al-dente. Reserve 1 cup of boiled pasta water. Drain the remaining water. Transfer the cooked pasta to a mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. 3--- Make Basil Pesto: ---
4. 4While the pasta is cooking, start making pesto sauce.
5. 5Add all the pesto ingredients except olive oil in a food processor with the blade attachment. Seal the lid of the food processor. Start blending the ingredients while slowly and steadily pouring the olive oil. You may need to stop. scrape, and again blend the ingredients. But do not blend more than 1 minute.
6. 6Store pesto sauce in an airtight conatiner in the refrigerator or use it immediately.
7. 7--- Assemble: ---
8. 8Transfer cooked pasta to a mixing bowl. Add pesto sauce, cherry tomato, cream, and 1/4 cup of reserved boiled pasta water. Toss to evenly coat pasta with the sauce. The sauce should cling to the pasta.
9. 9If the pasta dries up or soak the sauce, add 1/4 cup remaining boiled pasta water and toss once again.
10. 10Garnish basil pesto pasta with chopped walnut and cheese.
11. 11Serve Basil Pesto Pasta immediately with focaccia bread.