4-Ingredient Creamy Pesto Pasta with Basil Pesto (Ready in 20 Minutes!)

Some nights I just want dinner to feel a little fancy without spending hours in the kitchen or dirtying every pan I own. This creamy pesto pasta is exactly that. Four ingredients, one skillet, and it's on the table in the time it takes to boil pasta. The secret is treating the pesto like a sauce base rather than just a topping and a splash of heavy cream and starchy pasta water does all the heavy lifting.

This one starts with my homemade 5-minute basil pesto (but store bought works too) or if you want to mix things up, spinach pesto works beautifully here too.

Key Ingredients

• Pesto: Homemade or store bought both work equally well.
• Heavy cream: This is what turns pesto from a topping into a proper sauce. Half and half or whole milk work too, but heavy cream gives you the richest, silkiest result.
• Pasta water: Don't skip this ingredient. It's what makes the sauce actually cling to the pasta. The starch from cooking emulsifies the cream and pesto together into something silky and cohesive. The easiest way to save it without forgetting is to use a spider strainer to pull the pasta out of the water rather than dumping everything into a colander.
• Pasta: Whatever shape you choose, cook it just shy of al dente. It'll finish cooking in the skillet with the sauce.

Choosing your pasta shape

This is the detail that takes a good creamy pesto pasta and makes it great. You want a mid-length pasta shape with some texture. Something the sauce can actually grip onto. Gemelli, castcatelli, or rigatoni all work really well. The sauce tends to slide off long pasta like spaghetti or linguine. Short shapes like penne rigate work fine but don't give you quite the same tangle-of-pasta-and-sauce situation that makes this dish so satisfying.

You can also swap in gnocchi for the pasta easily in this recipe. For simple directions to do so, check out my gnocchi with pesto recipe.

How to make creamy pesto pasta

Bring the pasta water to a boil, salt the water (to the salinity of the sea)  and then add your pasta.  Cook according to package directions. When the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta and reserve the pasta cooking water. The best way to drain the pasta while retaining the pasta water is by using a spider strainer. 

Step 1: While the pasta cooks, place a skillet onto your stove over medium to medium-low heat.  Add the pesto and heavy cream to the pan and whisk to combine.

Step 2: Then stream in the pasta water whisking while you do. 

Step 3: Add the pasta directly into the skillet and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Step 4: Portion into pasta bowls and serve!  If you are feeling fancy, garnish with basil leaves and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Additions and Variations

While this creamy pesto sauce pasta is awesome on its own, here are a few ideas to add to it if you are a feeling more adventurous:

• Stir in some toasted pine nuts for added crunch.
• Add in mozzarella balls and torn up basil.
• Flake Pesto Salmon and stir it in at the end.  Not only is it a great added protein but it's a real bump in the basil flavor from the pesto.
• Spice the dish up by adding a Tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
• Make it extra creamy by stirring in 2 oz of cream cheese at the end.
• Swap the basil pesto for other types of pesto.  Try red pepper pesto, mint pesto, spinach pesto or pistachio pesto. 

Storage and Reheating Tips

You can store leftovers of this pesto pasta recipe in the fridge for up to 4 days.  I would not recommend freezing it.

To reheat a creamy pasta dish with pesto, I recommend doing it on the stovetop with a little bit of added cream or water to help retain the creaminess as it heats through. Once warmed through, be sure to stir it up well, and then enjoy!

Did you try this recipe and and love it? 😍 Let me know by leaving a comment below or 5 ⭐ rating!

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