Easy Pesto Pasta

Ok folks, it doesn't get much easier or tastier than this dish, my easy pesto pasta. The satisfaction and fullness from the pasta, the energy from the beans and the flavors from the pesto and tomatoes make this one of the best dishes you can have in your repertoire. This pesto pasta will be a new favorite once you give it a try.

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Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

About this pesto pasta

I have been making this basil pesto pasta the exact same way since I was in college and I am not tired of it yet. What I needed back then (and still do today) was a dish that I could easily make and that would keep me full for the day.

I would pack up this pesto pasta and bring it with me on campus (at the time) or work and it would fuel me for an entire day. The only cooking you need to do is cook the pasta and the rest is just assembling (including the pesto).

This is proof that great meals can be assembled! This basil pesto pasta is the perfect meal to eat at home or as a take-along to an outing since it is served at room temperature. It also heats up nicely in the microwave if you prefer it hot.

Ingredients in this easy pesto pasta

This pesto pasta has a few usual ingredients (the obvious, pesto and pasta) and a few new ingredients (Italian beans, tomatoes, and one other ingredient that I bet you would never guess.) I am going to break down all of them for you below.

The pesto sauce for this pasta

Now for the pesto in this pesto pasta, if you have a favorite jarred pesto brand that you like, then by all means use that if it is easier for you. Just make sure it is a good one.

I often use a store-bought pesto for this recipe. If you want to make your own, I have a wonderful walnut basil pesto recipe that I have been using for years and I love it.

This is the pesto sauce I love adding to this pasta when I have time to make it.

If you do decide to make your own pesto, I highly suggest making a double batch and freezing some of it until you need it. Why go through all that work for one batch when you can essentially make 2 batches in the same amount of time.

I am always thinking of these shortcuts in the kitchen.

I have made and bought my own pesto and there is no shame in store-bought. In fact, it is a real time saver for quick meals to keep some in your pantry.

The Cannellini Beans in this pesto pasta

Now that we have talked about the pesto, it is time to discuss the other ingredients. This recipe also calls for cannellini beans which can totally be optional, however, I highly recommend them in this dish.

It makes the pasta go from just a regular pesto pasta to a high-energy dish. Pesto pasta and beans are really good and the creaminess from these Italian beans goes so well with the flavors in this pasta.

Tip: Make sure that you rinse your beans well before adding them to your pasta since canned beans sit in a brine.

Pesto pasta with tomatoes

Tomatoes are the fresh ingredient that balances this pesto pasta and keeps it feeling light. I also happen to love tomatoes.

The combination of pesto and tomatoes is a match made in heaven!

For this recipe, you can use any tomatoes you like. I will use large tomatoes that I dice up if that is what I have in the house.

Sometimes I may have cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. In that instance, I slice them in half for more manageable bite-sized pieces.

How to make pesto sauce taste better

I feel very strongly in saying that to make any pesto sauce better, you need to add one additional ingredient to a pesto and pasta recipe. This ingredient which is a little different from other pesto and pasta recipes is the addition of balsamic vinegar.

This to me is very important and it really adds a depth of flavor that I feel pesto pasta lacks.

Pesto on its own is bold and full flavored but once it is mixed with pasta it dulls the flavors a bit. The balsamic vinegar helps wake those flavors back up and adds a faint touch of sweetness in the background.

It is just a little that you add so don't worry that it will be too much.

You will see many recipes that just add lemon juice right into the pesto to brighten up the flavors and that works too but this is my preference and so good!

How to make

Making this pesto pasta is so easy. Here are what the steps look like:

1. Cook pasta.
2. Add beans, tomatoes, pesto and balsamic vinegar to a large bowl.
3. When pasta is done cooking, add that to the bowl and toss together.

That is it! This easy pesto pasta is served warm and the heat from the pasta is what warms all of the ingredients. If you would prefer a hot pesto pasta then you can heat the beans in a saucepan or microwave until warmed through and then follow the rest of the recipe.

How to make store-bought pesto better

If you are working with store-bought pesto for this recipe, there are some ways to make the store-bought pesto taste better. Even if it is your favorite brand and already delicious on its own.

Here are my tips for adding a little more flavor to store-bought pesto.

• Add additional finely shredded Parmesan. I will usually eyeball this but I like to add around ¼ cup of very finely grated Parmesan to the pesto.
• Add a little balsamic vinegar to brighten up the flavors. I give my recommendations for the amounts I like to use below.
• Add a little fresh lemon juice. You only need to squeeze about ½ of a lemon into the store-bought pesto.
• Add a little extra salt. Sometimes store-bought pesto just needs a little salt. I like to use kosher salt and I start with just a pinch of this until it it seasoned to my taste.
• Olive oil. Sometimes store-bought pesto is too thick. When this happens, I like to add a tablespoon or so of extra virgin olive oil and mix it well.

Best pasta to use

For this simple pesto pasta, I really prefer a shaped pasta like penne, ziti, and even bow tie pasta when I make a pesto pasta. The tube-shaped pasta really holds the pesto well and the pesto gets into the middle of the pasta.

The bow tie pasta (also called Farfalle) is the next best thing to the tubed-shaped pasta since it has lots of areas for the pesto to cling to when it is tossed with it.

If you are in a pinch, you can use other types of pasta like spaghetti but do try to use a pasta shape like I mentioned above for the best experience.

How to store

There are two things to think about here, storing the pesto and storing the pesto pasta. Storing the pesto pasta is super easy.

Just make sure you cover tightly in a container with a lid in the fridge for up to 2 days. There will be a touch of discoloration from air reacting with the pesto but that is fine. This is purely aesthetic.

For storing pesto, whether it is jarred pesto or homemade pesto, you will want to drizzle a little olive oil over the top of the pesto and cover it tightly.

Again, this helps prevent the discoloration of pesto AND keeps the pesto nice and fresh and from drying out.

Pairing Ideas

If you are looking for things to serve with this easy pesto pasta, here are some ideas:

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