15 Minute Pesto Pasta [+ Video]

Pesto pasta is a fresh, flavor-packed dish made with al dente penne, homemade basil pesto, and a touch of garlic and parmesan. It’s quick to whip up, full of bright, herby goodness, and perfect for tossing together on a busy night. All you need is a few simple ingredients and 15 minutes – yes, really!

This pesto pasta is fresh, flavorful, and ridiculously easy to throw together. The homemade basil pesto is rich with garlic, parmesan, and pine nuts, and it clings perfectly to every bite of penne. We’ve been making it since our basil started taking over the garden, and it’s still a favorite. Tossed, stirred, and devoured in minutes – this dish never lets us down.

Fresh basil has a way of sneaking into just about everything we make during the warmer months. Whether it’s tucked into a cheesy pasta or layered into something heartier, the flavor is always a hit around our table. When the mood calls for something extra cozy, we’ll go for our 20-Minute Cheesy Pesto Pasta – it’s like this dish’s rich, melty cousin. Or if we’re feeling that casual backyard dinner vibe, a slice of Pesto Pepperoni and Sausage Grilled Pizza totally hits the spot. And if you haven’t tried our Creamy Chicken Pesto Lasagna, you’re seriously missing out!

Ingredients for Pesto Pasta

This pesto pasta is proof that simple really can be spectacular. Just grab a few fresh staples, give them a whirl in the food processor, and boom – pasta night perfection.

• Penne Pasta: The perfect pasta shape to catch all that gorgeous pesto sauce in every nook and cranny. Spaghetti or rotini work well too!
• Pine Nuts: Lightly toasted for that buttery, nutty flavor that makes pesto sing. If you don’t have these in the pantry, walnuts or almonds are a good backup.
• Garlic: Adds a bold, savory depth to the pesto. We’re using fresh cloves for that extra zing!
• Sweet Basil: The star of the show. Use fresh basil leaves, packed tightly for the best flavor. No dried stuff here!
• Olive Oil: Helps everything blend smoothly and adds that classic richness. Stick with extra virgin for the best taste.
• Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated is best – trust us. Adds saltiness and a creamy texture to the pesto.
• Sea Salt and Fresh Black Pepper: Just a pinch or two to bring everything into balance.

The measurements needed for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Classic Basil Pesto Sauce

This post covers how to make pesto sauce, how to store it, and more! If you’ve never made homemade pesto before, you’ve been missing out!

This a perfect summer recipe to use up all that basil in the garden! I swear basil multiplies overnight. I can’t keep ahead of it, but homemade pesto is one of my favorite ways to use it up!

Homemade Basil Pesto Sauce Recipe

I don’t know why, but I had never had pesto until college. At least I’m pretty sure I hadn’t. And I honestly don’t even remember who made it when I did finally have it. All I remember was that it was a basic pesto pasta and I loved it.

I’ll be the first to admit that I ate waaaaaay more than I should have. It was slightly nutty, cheesy, and super fresh. Could there be a better combo? We use pesto all the time now and we even make it a few different ways depending on how much of everything we have like our 15-Minute Pesto Pasta, pesto butter grilled cheese, creamy pesto chicken pizza,  or the bacon pesto grilled cheese sandwich contest I won with Tillamook. However, in the end this is our ultimate, absolute favorite classic pesto recipe.

A classic pesto recipe is easy enough to make, but storing is a bit tricky. I have two ways that I store it and a third that I’ve heard great things about but never tried it. But we can talk about storing it after we discuss the actual classic pesto recipe.

Basil Pesto Recipe Ingredients

This is such an easy pesto recipe! It requires minimal ingredients to whip up. Here’s what all goes into this homemade pesto sauce:

• Fresh Basil
• Garlic Cloves
• Pine Nuts
  • NOTE: The best substitutes for pine nuts are walnuts, almonds or cashews.
• Olive Oil
• Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • NOTE: The best substitute is pecorino romano cheese.
• Salt

The measurements for each can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make Pesto Sauce

To start this homemade pesto recipe, I just heat up a skillet over medium heat, add both the garlic cloves and the pine nuts and let it cook until golden, shaking the pan occasionally. Then, I remove the nuts and allow the garlic to finish turning golden as well.

An added bonus is that the garlic slides right out of its skin when it’s toasted this way. I love that. So, yes you read right, toast the garlic in its thin skin and then remove after it’s golden.

Place everything except the cheese and salt in the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Stir in the cheese and add salt to taste. Yes, making this classic pesto recipe is that easy. If you want to go totally authentic, you can use a mortar and pestle to blend the pesto together.

Lightened Up Healthier Chicken Parmesan Recipe

Chicken parmesan is always a crowd favorite, but sometimes I want a dinner that’s a little lighter. This lightened up healthier chicken parm recipe is so simple and the flavor is delicious.

In fact, I’ll go so far as to say that you won’t even miss the mounds of mozzarella, piles of pasta or the sauce. Even though we have a traditional chicken parmesan recipe that is fantastic, I think we prefer this healthier version. I love how light and fresh it tastes and the chicken is crazy moist. It’s nice to have a meal where you can still eat great tasting food without feeling weighed down and completely stuffed afterwards. I think everyone should make this parmesan chicken!

What is Parmesan Chicken?

Parmesan chicken (or chicken Parmesan or chicken Parmigiana) is a dish that consists of breaded chicken breast covered in tomato sauce and mozzarella, parmesan, or provolone cheese. Parmesan chicken originated in Italy. We are sort of breaking all the rules with this lightened up version except for the breaded chicken part, but it’s so dang good!

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Creamy Artichoke Dip [+ Video]

This is the best creamy artichoke dip we’ve ever had, at home or in a restaurant. Plus, it’s super easy and can be made in the oven or slow cooker.

This creamy artichoke dip comes from my Mom’s best friend. This is definitely one of the most meaningful recipes we have, which is why my mom will be guest posting further down.

I remember everyone raving about it at every gathering we went to growing up. I have never once brought this dip to a party or gathering without someone requesting the recipe. In fact, many times I have quite a few people requesting the recipe. It’s just that good. In fact, out of all the dips I have ever had, including restaurant versions, this one remains my favorite. Is it healthy? Heavens no, but you’ll be quite happy with how delicious it is and let’s be honest, a little applause from your thighs as you walk couldn’t be all that bad, right?

I love how a good recipe can immediately flood you with memories of a person, loved one or event. I sincerely believe that recipes should be shared and passed on between family and friends. They are just as important as stories in our family history.

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Classic Margherita Pizza Recipe

My go-to pizza at all pizza restaurants is a margherita. It’s my favorite…hands down. Logically I had to create my own classic margherita pizza recipe that rivals the pies I had in Italy.

I honestly feel like you can judge how legit a pizza place is on how good their margherita is. If they can’t make a good marg…pizza in it’s most simple, pure form…then I have little hope for any of their other ‘zas. Might be harsh, but it has worked for me so far!

The crust in this recipe is a Neopolitan crust which means that it is thin. We love it thin and chewy. This pizza crust recipe is flawless and the perfect compliment to the simple and delicate but bold flavor of a margherita pizza.

Ingredients for a Margherita Pizza Recipe

Recipes that are amazing have to be complicated and have a grocery list a mile long, right? Wrong! The crust has just 5 ingredients, the sauce has 2, and for the toppings, there are 3. It really couldn’t be more simple! Here is what you will need:

Dough:

• Baker’s flour (or 00 flour): essential to getting that chewy crust you want in a pizza, see section below for more details
• Water: it needs to be warm (105-115 degrees F) to activate the yeast properly
• Sea Salt: go for fine grain, adds flavor to the crust
• Sugar: feeds the yeast
• Instant Yeast: don’t use active dry yeast

Sauce:

• San Marzano Tomatoes: you can use crushed, whole, diced…whatever you can find…it all ends up in the blender
• Sea Salt: adds flavor to the sauce

Toppings:

• Fresh Mozzarella: you can use as much or as little of the cheese as you want
• Fresh Basil: I like to leave the leaves whole and scatter them over th