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Close-up of pasta al pesto, with linguine coated in green pesto sauce, garnished with fresh basil leaves and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.

Pasta al Pesto (Linguini with Basil Pesto Sauce)

Lindsey Neumayer
This classic pasta al pesto recipe (pasta al Genovese) features linguini tossed with fresh homemade basil pesto sauce. Ready in under 30 minutes, this authentic Italian dish delivers restaurant-quality flavor perfect for weeknight dinners.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6
Calories 400 kcal

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Equipment

  • 1 large pot for boiling pasta
  • 1 food processor for making pesto
  • 1 spatula or tongs, for stirring and serving
  • 1 serving bowl optional

Ingredients
  

TO MAKE THE PESTO

  • 40 g pine nuts lightly toasted, 1/3 cup
  • 65 g fresh basil leaves lightly packed, 3 cups
  • 50 g parmesan cheese freshly grated or crumbled, 1/3 cup
  • 8 g garlic 2 small cloves, peeled
  • 25 g olive oil extra virgin, 1/4 cup
  • salt and pepper to taste

TO MAKE THE PASTA

  • 1 cup pesto from above recipe
  • 454 g linguini 1 pound
  • ½ cup pasta water reserved

Instructions
 

TO MAKE THE PESTO

  • Toast pine nuts. In a dry skillet over medium heat, lightly toast pine nuts until fragrant and golden, about 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Let cool.
    40 g pine nuts
  • Process garlic, pine nuts, and parmesan. In a food processor, combine cooled pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan cheese. Pulse until finely chopped.
    40 g pine nuts, 50 g parmesan cheese, 8 g garlic
  • Add basil. Add basil leaves and pulse until roughly chopped.
    65 g fresh basil leaves
  • Stream in oil. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until smooth and well combined.
    25 g olive oil
  • Season. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
    salt and pepper

FOR THE PASTA

  • Boil pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente, about 9-10 minutes or according to packing instructions. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
    454 g linguini
  • Combine pasta & pesto. Add the hot drained pasta back to the pasta pot or into a serving dish. Add the pesto sauce. Toss well to combine.
    1 cup pesto
  • Add pasta water to thicken. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time until you reach desired creamy consistency.
    1/2 cup pasta water
  • Season to taste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
  • Serve. Serve immediately, garnished with lemon zest or parmesan as desired.

Notes

troubleshooting tips

  • don't overboil - not sure if your pasta is done? Pull a noodle from the pot and give it a taste. If it’s too hard, it’s not ready yet. It should have a nice springy chew to it, but not be crunchy, chunky, or gritty to bite.
  • not enough flavor - salting the water is a must. It helps to flavor the pasta and also adds flavor to the starchy pasta water, which we will be using to help thicken up the sauce. This adds flavor to the pasta and the sauce!
  • too watery - make sure you use reserved pasta water to bring this sauce together instead of regular water. Starches in the pasta water helps to bind the sauce to the noodles in a velvety sauce. If you accidentally add too much water, allow it to sit on low heat for a few moments until it thickens up again.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 400kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 14gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 140mgPotassium: 254mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 639IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 138mgIron: 2mg
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Keyword: al fresco, basil, basil pesto, summer