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.

Crunchy Roasted Cauliflower and Hummus [+Video]

Looking for a new way to enjoy cauliflower? Look no further! This roasted cauliflower recipe is sure to become your new favorite. With the perfect balance of savory spices and a crispy texture, it’s a must-try for any cauliflower lover. We love to serve it over our homemade hummus with a little pesto and aleppo pepper on top.

Ingredients for Crispy Roasted Cauliflower and Hummus

One thing I love about vegetables is that you can really jazz them up or keep them really simple with just a little butter and salt and pepper. With this cauliflower dish, we jazz them up a little but it’s still so simple. Here is what you will need:

• Olive Oil: Helps roast the cauliflower and make it crispy.
• Cauliflower: We love the look of multicolored cauliflower, but you could use just white cauliflower or any cauliflower you enjoy.
• Cornstarch: Helps create a crust on the cauliflower as it roasts.
• Seasonings: Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Kosher Salt and Onion Powder
• Hummus: If you don’t want to take the time to make homemade hummus, then use your favorite store-bought brand.
• Pesto: Again, you can’t beat the flavor and freshness of homemade pesto sauce, but you could save time by using store-bought pesto. The Kirkland brand at Costco is actually pretty good.
• Aleppo Pepper: A moderately spicy pepper that is deep red and adds such a great flavor
• Flaked Sea Salt: Adds just a pop of flavor to round out the flavors in this tasty vegetable dish.

The measurements of each ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post so keep scrolling for all the details.

How to Make Crispy Roasted Cauliflower

Let me take you through the few simple steps to make this easy vegetable side dish:

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 400° F and pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil on a cookie sheet. When the oven comes to temperature, put the cookie sheet in the oven to heat up the oil.
2. Chop: While the oil is heating up in the oven, chop one head of cauliflower and then toss it with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
   • NOTE: You want the cauliflower florets to be bite-size and roughly the same size.
3. Mix: Add all seasonings together in a small bowl and then sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the cauliflower.
4. Toss: Add another 2 tablespoons of olive oil and toss everything together. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the cauliflower evenly

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.