If there is one kind of pasta I truly love, can eat everyday and basically never get bored of, it’s this creamy pesto pasta. I love it so much that I started growing Italian basil in my garden so that I never run out of basil. And Italian basil grows like a weed so your girl has been very happy! And I am finally sharing the recipe.
This pasta requires the least amount of cooking. You just have to boil your spaghetti and that’s it! The rest of the magic happens in the blender and the result is one of the most delicious creamy pesto pasta that oozes comfort and happiness. This vibrant pasta recipe is made with my in-house pesto sauce that is EXTRA creamy. This pesto sauce has the most silken texture and it is super rich and indulgent. Also this pesto sauce is multi-purpose. You can lather it up on your sandwiches, enjoy it as a luxurious dip or add it to anything you’re eating (I love it on my morning omelette). This pesto stays well for upto three days so make sure you make extra.
Pesto refers to any sauce with a nut and a herb. So pesto can be any combination of a really flavourful herb and a nut that goes well with it. The most common kind of pesto is Italian basil with pine nuts, but you can try and experiment with any combination. I particularly love arugula or rocket leaves as the base in my pesto, and it tastes absolutely stunning. This creamy pesto sauce is a take on the most classic combination of Italian basil and pine nuts. Because I am in India and pine nuts are not local to us at all, I have used toasted almonds. You can also use toasted walnuts if that’s available with you.
The speciality of this creamy pesto pasta is that it is extra creamy! This is because of the ratio of basil to almonds and cheese. Because this pesto sauce just has a few ingredients, it is of utmost importance that you source the best quality possible. Make sure you use very good quality extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese and of course, fresh Italian basil. The rest of the ingredients is just salt, almonds and garlic, which can be easily found in any pantry.
So go ahead, make this creamy pesto pasta in your kitchen and fall in love with minimalistic cooking and smashing flavours!
Preparation time – 10 minutes
Cook time – 20 minutes
Serves – 2 to 3 people
Ingredients
- 200 g dried spaghetti
- 3 cups fresh Italian basil
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/2 cup Grated parmesan cheese
- 2 small garlic cloves/1 large garlic clove
- 3-4 tbsp reserved pasta water
- 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
Directions
- Heat water in a large mouthed pot. Let it come to a boil. Add enough salt to it to make it saline.
- Cook the spaghetti in the boiling salty water till done. Start preparing the sauce while the spaghetti cooks.
- Toast the almonds in a pan till it turns nice and crispy. Set aside and allow too cook completely.
- Pulse garlic, almonds, parmesan cheese and olive oil together.
- Add the fresh basil and salt and blend to a creamy and smooth paste.
- Add the cooked spaghetti on a plate or bowl. Add pesto sauce as per your liking and mix well. Add more olive oil if you prefer the pasta to be more glazy.
- Garnish with some grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy while hot.
Note – To store this pesto sauce, add a layer of olive oil on top to help it retain its colour.
Every bite of this creamy pesto pasta will knock your socks off! You can store this pesto for 2-3 days.
I hope you try out this delicious pesto pasta recipe. If you do, let me know how it turned out for you. If you have any questions, suggestions or feedback, please leave me a comment here. Or connect with me Instagram, Facebook or YouTube.
Happy hosting!
