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    Home » One Pot Recipes

    Basil Pesto Pasta Recipe (One Pot)

    Published: Sep 17, 2024 · Modified: Jan 22, 2025 by Abeer Rizvi · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

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    Quick and easy basil pesto pasta recipe, made with simple ingredients in one pot on stovetop. This 30 minute meal is packed with peso sauce, basil and tomatoes.

    Basil Pesto Pasta Recipe (30 Minute Meal)

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    This recipe is just as easy and delicious as my One Pot Garlic Chicken Pasta and my One Pot Bacon Pasta. They bring the family together to enjoy a meal without laboring in the kitchen for hours on end. As a busy woman, like most of us these days, it is important to balance time and health with recipes such as these.

    Jump to:
    • Key ingredients
    • Variations
    • How to make easy one pot pesto pasta recipe from scratch?
    • What to serve with basil pasta?
    • Tips and techniques
    • Recipe FAQs
    • Storage
    • More pasta meals
    • Recipe

    Key ingredients

    • Pasta- Angel hair pasta is the best, but you can also use spaghetti noodles.
    • Olive oil- Used for sauteing and brings added flavor.
    • Garlic- Finely minced and fresh is best.
    • Pesto sauce- You can use homemade or your favorite brand.
    • Spices- All you need to sufficient flavor is salt and pepper.
    • Tomatoes- Be sure to remove the seeds and cut into pieces.
    • Cheese- Mozzarella is best and you can add more or less as desired.
    • Basil leaves- Use fresh as a garnish.

    Variations

    • Add chicken- Mix in 1-2 cups cooked chicken breast pieces.
    • Shrimp version- Mix in 1-2 cups cooked shrimp with the noodles.
    • Zoodle pasta- Replace angel hair pasta with Zucchini Noodles.
    • Make a pasta salad- Omit the cheese and add olives, more tomatoes, more basil, and some toasted pine nuts. Chill and serve it cold.
    • Creamy option- Mix in ½ cup cream cheese and additional mozzarella cheese, based on how creamy you like your pasta.
    • For a spicy kick- Mix 1 finely chopped jalapeno in this pasta.
    • Add sausage- Mix in 1-2 cups cooked sausage.

    Easy Pesto Pasta Recipe (One Pot Meal)

    How to make easy one pot pesto pasta recipe from scratch?

    1. Boil pasta- And keep aside.
    2. Heat oil- And saute garlic.
    3. Mix in- Pesto sauce, salt, pepper, boiled pasta, and tomatoes.
    4. Toss in- Some mozzarella cheese.
    5. Garnish- With fresh basil and you are done.

    What to serve with basil pasta?

    • Roasted vegetables- Like Oven Roasted Carrots (One Pan) or Oven Roasted Broccoli (One Pan).
    • Bread- Try garlic bread, Bruschetta (One Pan), breadsticks, or even dinner rolls.
    • Salad- Such as Italian Chopped Salad (One Bowl) or Creamy Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad (One Bowl).

    Tips and techniques

    • Use other pasta options- I used angel hair pasta because it absorbs the pesto flavor quicker than regular spaghetti but you can easily replace angel hair pasta with any pasta of your choice.
    • Boil pasta in salted water- Or else it will have no flavor when you mix it in with the sauce later.
    • Adjust the amount of mozzarella cheese- Based on your preference. I like it light and don't want it to over-power the pasta.
    • Adjust the amount of pesto sauce- Based on your preference.
    • Don't over-boil the pasta- It has to be al dente so that it doesn't take like a "disgusting paste."
    • Use cherry tomatoes- Or variety of cherry tomatoes in this recipe in place of regular tomatoes, chopped.

    Pesto Sauce Pasta Recipe

    Recipe FAQs

    Is pasta with pesto healthy?

    Yes, it is a "healthier" meal if you use whole grain pasta or zucchini noodles.

    Why is my pasta dry and chewy?

    You likely just need to add in a bit more water and cook longer.

    Why are the noodles slimy?

    It is possible to overcook pasta. This is not an easy fix, but you can saute your noodles in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil to get them to a better texture. This changes the overall taste and texture, however.

    Storage

    • Make ahead- This can be made up to 2 days in advance if kept in a sealed container in the fridge. Reheat before serving.
    • Refrigerate- In a sealed container for up to 2 days.
    • Freeze- I don’t recommended freezing since the pasta changes texture when thawed and doens't taste as good.
    • Reheat- In the microwave or in a pot over the stove.

    More pasta meals

    • One Pot Creamy Spinach Pasta Recipe
    • One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta
    • One Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
    • Instant Pot Vegetable Pasta
    • Instant Pot Swedish Meatball Pasta

    Recipe

    Easy One Pot Basil Pesto Pasta With Tomatoes- Overhead Shot.

    One Pot Pesto Pasta Recipe

    Abeer
    Quick and easy pesto pasta recipe, made with simple ingredients in one pot on stovetop. This 30 minute meal is packed with peso sauce, basil and tomatoes. 
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 4 People
    Calories 652 kcal

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    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound Angel hair pasta
    • 1 teaspoon Olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic Finely minced
    • ¾-1 cup Pesto sauce
    • Salt To taste
    • Pepper To taste
    • 1 cup Tomatoes Seeds removed and cut into 1 inch pieces OR cherry tomatoes cut in half
    • ½ cup Mozzarella cheese Adjust based on your preference
    • 5 Basil leaves Fresh, Roughly chopped, For garnish

    Instructions
     

    • Boil pasta in salted water, according to box instructions and keep aside. 
    • In the same nonstick pot, heat oil over medium high heat and saute garlic until golden brown. Do not burn it! 
    • Add pesto sauce, salt, pepper and mix. 
    • Add boiled pasta, tomatoes and mix everything together until fully coated. 
    • Mix in some mozzarella cheese.
    • Garnish with basil leaves and enjoy. 

    Notes

    • Read all my tips above.
    • Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 652kcalCarbohydrates: 90gProtein: 20gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 550mgPotassium: 351mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1340IUVitamin C: 5.3mgCalcium: 173mgIron: 1.9mg

    An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.

    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or rate and tag @1potrecipes on social
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    Comments

    1. Katerina says

      September 26, 2018 at 5:28 am

      The perfect weeknight dinner!! SO easy and incredibly delicious!!5 stars

      Reply
    2. Toni says

      September 26, 2018 at 5:51 am

      I love this! Looks so easy to make!5 stars

      Reply
    3. Erin says

      September 27, 2018 at 7:55 am

      This looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!5 stars

      Reply
    4. Jessica says

      September 27, 2018 at 11:13 am

      I love that this makes such a light meal! 

      Reply
    5. Sandra says

      September 30, 2018 at 8:26 pm

      Thank you so much for the tips! I will definitely try this!5 stars

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Abeer!

    Recipe developer. Photographer. Mommy & Foodie. Welcome to OnePot Recipes, a place where I share my love for cooking using One Pot, Instant Pot and Stock Pot!

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