Easy Pesto Pasta

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Easy pesto pasta is one of those meals that comes together fast and tastes like you actually tried.

Tender pasta coated in a generous amount of bright, garlicky basil pesto — it’s filling, fresh-tasting, and on the table in under 20 minutes.

This is the kind of dish you make when you don’t want to think too hard but still want something good.

Minimal cleanup, pantry-friendly ingredients, and big flavor from that pesto sauce.

If you love quick pasta dishes, you’ll also want to try our Shrimp Scampi with Pasta!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Store-bought pesto works perfectly here. A good jarred pesto is totally fine. If you have homemade on hand, even better — use it generously.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
Drain the pasta and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Don’t let it burn.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat in the garlic oil.
Add the pesto and pour in a splash of reserved pasta water. Toss until every piece of pasta is fully coated and the sauce is smooth and silky.
Add cherry tomatoes if using and toss gently.
Season with salt and black pepper. Top with grated Parmesan and fresh basil. Serve immediately.

Don’t skip the pasta water. The starch in it helps the pesto cling to the pasta evenly instead of clumping or sliding off.
Add pesto off the heat or over low heat. High heat turns basil pesto brown and kills the fresh flavor fast.
Be generous with the pesto. This dish is meant to be well-coated — don’t hold back on the sauce.
Cook pasta al dente. Slightly firm pasta holds up better when tossed and when reheated the next day.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Add a splash of water when reheating to loosen the sauce.
Make it a full meal by adding grilled chicken, shrimp, or white beans for extra protein.

Tender pasta tossed in plenty of garlicky basil pesto sauce — on the table in 20 minutes.

⏱ Prep: 5 min
🔥 Cook: 15 min
✓ Total: 20 min
👥 Serves: 4

Ingredients

12 oz	pasta (spaghetti, penne, or linguine)
¾ cup	basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
2 tbsp	olive oil
3 cloves	garlic, minced
½ cup	reserved pasta water
½ cup	cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
¼ cup	Parmesan cheese, grated
to taste	salt and black pepper
garnish	fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1	Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
2	Drain the pasta and set aside.
3	Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
4	Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat in garlic oil.
5	Add pesto and a splash of reserved pasta water. Toss until every piece of pasta is fully coated and the sauce is smooth.
6	Add cherry tomatoes if using and toss gently.
7	Season with salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan and fresh basil. Serve immediately.

📝 Notes

Reserve pasta water — the starch helps the pesto cling to pasta and keeps the sauce smooth.
Add pesto off the heat or over low heat to keep it bright green and fresh-tasting.
Be generous with the pesto — this dish is meant to be well-coated.
Cook pasta al dente so it holds up when tossed and when reheated.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Add a splash of water when reheating.
Add grilled chicken, shrimp, or white beans for extra protein.

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