Pesto Pasta with the BEST PESTO SAUCE (The One We Make Every Single Week)
This fresh pesto sauce comes together in 20 minutes and tastes like summer in a bowl. Made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan – it’s the one we make every week.
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Skillet
- Food processor
- Mortar and Pestle
- Microplane
- Liquid measuring cup
Ingredients
Pesto Sauce
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic (small to medium)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pasta
- 1 lb pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or trofie)
- 1 tablespoon salt (for pasta water)
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, salt it generously (it should taste like the sea), and bring to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Before draining, reserve a mugful of the pasta water.
- While the pasta cooks, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking frequently, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Watch closely – they burn fast. Set aside to cool.
- Make the pesto: If using a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic with a pinch of salt into a paste, then crush in the pine nuts, add basil leaves in handfuls grinding against the sides, stir in cheese, then slowly work in olive oil. If using a food processor, pulse the garlic, cooled pine nuts, and basil until roughly chopped (do not over-process). Add cheese, pulse once, then with motor running drizzle in oil until combined. Stop as soon as it comes together – a little texture is good.
- Toss the hot drained pasta with a few spoonfuls of pesto and a splash of reserved pasta water. The water helps the sauce coat every strand without needing more oil. Add more pesto to taste.
- Serve immediately in warm bowls, topped with extra grated Parmesan and a scattering of toasted pine nuts.
Notes
Important tips: Don’t wash basil until ready to use. Use small to medium garlic cloves to avoid overpowering. The pasta water is essential for a creamy sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning. Store leftover pesto in a jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top; keeps in fridge for a week. Freeze pesto in ice cube trays for instant dinners. For dairy-free, omit Parmesan and add nutritional yeast. For nut-free, use toasted sunflower seeds.