Creamy Pesto Pasta

Creamy Pesto Pasta is a pasta recipe ready in 20 min. It makes 2 servings, each 620 kcal with 18 g protein. Beginner level, 12 ingredients.

Recipe by @bitesofberi, adapted and measured by Cookpath.

  • 20 min15 min hands-on
  • Beginnerlevel
  • 620kcal a serving
  • 18 gprotein
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Creamy Pesto Pasta

What is Creamy Pesto Pasta

Pasta in a creamy basil pesto sauce with blistered cherry tomatoes, browned mushrooms and spinach.

More:Mushroom recipes

How to make Creamy Pesto Pasta

Tips from the cook

  • Let the vegetables brown: only toss them now and then.
  • Adjust the sauce with more cream, pesto or pasta water; the starchy water helps it cling to the pasta.
  • Homemade pesto tastes stronger, but store-bought works fine. Rocket or sun-dried tomato pesto also work.
  • Add shrimp, chicken or salmon for more protein.
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Goes well with

Sides from Cookpath that balance this dish, the same picks the app suggests.

Greek Salad15 min · 500 kcal

Meal prep and storage

Keeps 3–4 days in the fridge. Add a splash of liquid when reheating so the sauce stays creamy.

Prep a few days

See this week’s meal prep plan on the blog, or plan your own week in the app.

Creamy Pesto Pasta substitutions

Out of something, or cooking around an allergy. Each swap was checked against a source.

Tagliatelle1 option
  • Gluten-free pasta (corn/rice or corn-rice blend) 1:1 by weight; cook per packet, slightly al dente

    Soups (goes soft fast) and long simmers.

Mushrooms3 options
  • Zucchini (courgette), salted and drained 1:1 by weight

    Soft and watery.

  • Caramelised onions 1:1 by weight

    Sweeter.

  • Extra-firm tofu 1:1 by weight

    Breaks down in long cooking.

    Still contains soy.

Heavy cream2 options
  • Oat cooking cream (GF-labelled) or soy cream 1:1

    Does not whip.

    Still contains soy.

  • Coconut cream (top layer of can) 1:1

    Coconut flavour.

Basil pesto2 options
  • Pesto made with sunflower or pumpkin seeds and nutritional yeast instead of parmesan 1:1

    Seeds can be cross-contaminated with nuts; loses parmesan saltiness.

  • Basil blitzed with olive oil, garlic, lemon and salt (no nuts, no cheese) 1:1

    Thinner.

Parmesan2 options
  • Vegetarian hard Italian-style cheese (made with microbial rennet) 1:1 by weight

    Grana Padano contains egg lysozyme.

    Still contains dairy.

  • Nutritional yeast (fortified flakes) 1:1 by volume, add a pinch of salt

    No melt; less sharp.

Serve it with

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