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My creamy pesto pasta sauce is so simple and uses a minimal amount of ingredients! This simple pesto recipe will be your new weeknight staple – the perfect sauce to add to your favorite pasta, risotto, roasted potatoes, and more.
What is creamy pesto pasta sauce?
Pesto pasta sauce has an herb base, most commonly made from fresh basil.
While each recipe is different, a classic pesto sauce consists of basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, and pine nuts.
To make it creamy, this base includes rich ingredients like heavy cream and unsalted butter. This makes the sauce super luxurious and silky smooth.
Creamy pesto pasta sauce is most commonly served on long cuts of pasta, though it can also be enjoyed on roasted vegetables, in risotto, or topping light proteins like chicken or fish.
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Why this creamy pesto pasta sauce works
- You can buy pesto premade at the store, but nothing beats the flavor of freshly-made pesto.
- My pesto pasta uses minimal, whole ingredients like fresh basil, garlic, and parmesan cheese.
- This creamy pesto sauce comes together quickly and can be easily stored for future meals; perfect for meal prep!
- Heavy cream, unsalted butter, and pasta water make this dish incredibly creamy.
- Nutty parmesan cheese pairs well with pine nuts for delicious flavor and satisfying texture.
Ingredients needed
Here’s everything you’ll need to make creamy pesto pasta…
- Fresh basil
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Pine nuts
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Unsalted butter
- Heavy cream
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Tagliatelle or pasta of choice
- Reserved pasta water
How to make creamy pesto pasta sauce
Making this creamy pasta sauce is surprisingly easy (even more surprising once you taste how good it is!).
Follow my step-by-step instructions for the most delicious pesto pasta.
For the web story version of this creamy pasta sauce recipe, click here!
Step 1: Prep quality ingredients
- When prepping the basil for pesto, use the leaves and the smaller/softer stems.
- Optionally, try toasting your pine nuts in a small skillet to give your pesto an extra depth of flavor and enhance the nutty flavor.
- Freshly grate your parmesan cheese so that it melts well in your sauce. Many pre-shredded cheeses have anti-caking agents to keep them from clumping.
PREPPING Tip:
Discard the big stalks of basil because, unlike cilantro, where the stems are just as delicious as the leaves, the thick basil stems are bitter and will affect the taste of the pesto.
What other cheese can I use in pesto?
Pecorino cheese makes a good parmesan substitute. This Italian cheese has a similar, hard texture that can be finely grated for pesto.
Note that the flavors will be slightly different. Parmesan is aged longer, giving it a nutty, sweet flavor. Pecorino is tangier and saliter. Still, it’ll be delicious in my creamy pesto pasta!
Step 2: Make the pesto
- Add basil, pine nuts, cheese, and garlic to a food processor.
- Pulse your ingredients.
- While blending, pour in the olive oil through the spout.
- In between blending, open and scrape the sides with a silicone spatula to ensure all the basil leaves get blended and uniform in size.
- Give it a taste, and add salt/pepper if necessary.Â
PROCESSING Tip:
If you like traditional cooking methods, grab your mortar and pestle! Pesto is classically made using a mortar and pestle (hence the PEST-o). Simply add your ingredients and get crushing!
The finished consistency should be slightly thick with a bit of texture. A bit of pasta water will help thin out your creamy pesto pasta sauce later.
Step 3: Cook your pesto sauce
- Melt butter in a large skillet.
- Once the butter has melted, add the freshly made pesto. Stir to combine.
- Add in the heavy cream and optional red pepper flakes.
- Whisk until fully combined and taste to adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Step 4: Add your favorite pasta
- Cook your pasta until al dente. You can use whatever pasta shape you would like with this recipe. I love this recipe with long pasta such as tagliatelle, bucatini, linguine, or spaghetti. You can pair the creamy pesto pasta sauce with short pasta as well.
- Reserve a bit of pasta water before draining your pasta.
- Using tongs (silicone if you have one), gently toss the pasta noodles in the sauce to coat.
- To finish your creamy pasta sauce, add a few tbsp of the reserved pasta water until the consistency is silky.
- Serve your pasta with freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese over the top and additional crushed red pepper flakes if desired.
- For presentation, use tongs to grab a heap of pasta and lower it onto the plate while turning to form a delicious mound of pasta.
COOKING Tip:
Pasta water is liquid gold for homemade pasta sauce, so always save a bit of it when cooking! The starches that are released from the pasta into the water while cooking can be used to help thicken sauces to make them silky smooth in texture.
What is the best type of pasta for pesto sauce?
Pesto pasta sauce is best served with long cuts of pasta. Shapes like trofie, bucatini, and fusilli all hold the sauce well.
Because pesto sauce is on the thinner side, pasta shapes with ridges are best to catch the sauce, offering an even distribution of flavor in every bite!
How to serve creamy pesto pasta sauce
The best way to serve this creamy pasta sauce is with your favorite pasta. I prefer tagliatelle, though you can use any shape you prefer.
To keep things nutritious, add a vegetable-heavy side dish, like kale Caesar salad with chickpea croutons or grilled romaine lettuce with parmesan vinaigrette. Â
For an added protein source, pesto pairs well with lean proteins like chicken or fish. Try this pasta with blackened chicken, garlic-roasted chicken, or lemon chicken with asparagus.Â
Finally, this recipe wouldn’t be complete without a slice of homemade roasted garlic bread!
How to store creamy pesto pasta sauce
If you don’t use this pesto immediately, store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.
You can also freeze this pesto sauce to use at a later date.
My favorite way to freeze pesto is in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, simply remove the cubes from the tray and place them in a freezer bag for easy storage.
Love pasta? Try out these other recipes!
- Penne Alla Vodka
- Beef Bolognese Sauce
- Stuffed Pasta Shells
- Lentil Bolognese
- Spinach and Beef Lasagna
- Cheesy Pesto Stuffed Manicotti
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Creamy Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves (see note #1)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup pine nuts (see note #2)
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for serving
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound tagliatelle or pasta of choice
- 1/3 cup reserved pasta water (see note #3)
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Equipment
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Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil, cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water and drain pasta.
- While pasta is cooking, in a food processor add the basil leaves, garlic cloves, pine nuts, cheese, salt/pepper. Pulse until all ingredients are chopped. On high, slowly pour in the olive oil through the spout. Open and scrape the sides with a spatula to get any leaves that might have been stuck. Blend again and add additional 2 tbsp olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. (To stop here and store pesto, see note #5)
- In a large skillet with high walls over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter, add in the pesto, and stir to combine. Add in the 3 tbsp of heavy cream and crushed red pepper flakes (optional, if you do not like spicy then omit). Whisk together until the sauce is smooth and fully combined. Lower heat to simmer.
- Add in the cooked/drained pasta into the pesto sauce and using tongs, carefully toss to coat the pasta. Add in 2-3 tbsp of reserved pasta water until the pasta is fully coated with the sauce and silky.
- Serve with additional cheese over the top (optional). Enjoy!
Notes
- Basil: When prepping the basil for pesto, use the leaves and the smaller/softer stems. Discard the big stalks because, unlike cilantro where the stems are just as delicious as the leaves, the thick basil stems are bitter and will affect the taste of the pesto.
- Pine nuts: If you have the time, try lightly toasting your pine nuts in a small skillet. It gives the pesto an extra depth of flavor and enhances the nutty flavor.
- Reserved pasta water: Always reserve some pasta water prior to draining the pasta. The starches that are released from the pasta while cooking, naturally help thicken sauces and make them silky smooth in texture.
- Heavy cream: If you want the sauce more creamy add 1 additional tbsp of heavy cream. Do not substitute half and half for heavy cream or the consistency will not be the same.
- Storing pesto: You can use the pesto immediately for this recipe, store it in the fridge for 2-3 days in airtight container, or freeze it to use at a later date. My favorite way to freeze pesto is using an ice cube tray. Once frozen, you can remove from the tray and place in a freezer bag for easy storage. Thaw in refrigerator overnight or melt on low heat on stovetop, then can proceed with rest of recipe making it creamy.
- If you want to make vegan, substitute olive oil for the butter and use coconut cream (not milk) in place of the heavy cream.
This was wonderful!! So easy and delicious. Thanks for the great recipe
Had a bunch of homegrown basil to use & this was the perfect recipe to use it! Loved how easy it was to toss in the blender. My pinenut stash went missing so I used pumpkin seeds with caution and they worked well! Can’t wait to make this again with the pine nuts!
Excellent recipe. It was a big hit with my adult vegan son. I substituted organic coconut cream for the heavy cream. I did have a problem in trying to use my food processor for such a small amount (I halved recipe to be suitable for 2 to 3 servings). Blades not low enough to reach mixture, my blender did not work either. I finally used my hand mixer after mincing the garlic & was able to somewhat blend the mixture. What size food processor did you use Stephanie?
Hi Pat, I have an 13 cup food processor that has an attachment for smaller amounts, although I haven’t tried it with half the recipe. What I usually do is make the full amount, then freeze half for later use. I’m glad everyone enjoyed it!
Can you use a non-dairy milk or coconut cream instead of heavy cream? And if so how much?
Thanks!
Hi Cynthia, yes you can substitute the same amount
Made this today! Used fresh basil and garlic from my garden! I added grilled chicken! I will definitely be making this again!! So good!!
I’m so glad you loved it! Grilled chicken sounds like the perfect addition!
What kind of protein can I add to this. Would it be good with shrimp? Fish? Or chicken? What do you recommend
Hi Sabrina, I’ve tried it with shrimp and chicken myself, not fish. I cooked the protein separately then added on top on the end or you can mix in!
Chicken is very good.Skinless.
My fussy girl, who asked me to put aside some boiled pasta in case she does not like the pesto had second servings. Absolutely amazing, we loved it. Thank you for sharing the recipe
I love it! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it!
Would the pasta be good cold
Yes absolutely! I actually eat the leftovers cold the next day
What happens if you don’t have heavy cream
Hi Sawyer, if you don’t have heavy cream you can substitute half and half or if you don’t have that either you can use milk. It won’t be as thick as the heavy cream though, I would add just a little at a time.
If using pre-made pesto, about how much do we use?
I would use a cup of pre-made pesto
Will using using premade red pesto taste as good as green pesto?
Hi Gina, unfortunately I haven’t used red pesto before so I cannot speak to its taste or flavor with the recipe.