Pasta Al Pesto (Super Easy & Creamy!) : Italian Recipe Book

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Pasta Al Pesto is one of the iconic Italian pasta dishes made with two traditional Ligurian ingredients: word famous basil Pesto Genovese and short, twisted shape pasta with thinner ends known by the name trofie or trofiette. Trenette, linguine and even spaghetti is another very popular choice for pasta al pesto.

Pasta al pesto with green beans and potatoes on a serving plate.

Its vibrant colors, unforgettable herby, slightly spicy taste paired with slightly firm ‘al dente’ pasta and creamy sauce make it an art and an experience in and of itself.

Pasta al pesto, together with Pasta Caprese should be on the summer food bucket-list of any Italian food lover!

As obvious as it might sound, in Trofie Al Pesto or in any pasta al pesto for that matter pasta and pesto are not the only ingredients. In its best Italian tradition it is always made with two very modest additional ingredients: potatoes and green beans.

Creaminess of the potatoes mellows the vibrant taste of basil pesto. Slightly crunchy green beans are refreshing to the palette. Everything is topped with optional but much appreciated earthy pine nuts as a nod to the nuts in the pesto sauce.

Table Of Contents

Ingredients & Possible Substitutes
How To Make - Step By Step
Top Tips For Success
FAQs
More Delicious Recipes With Pesto
Full Recipe

Ingredients & Possible Substitutes

Pasta al pesto ingredients can look like this if you're making homemade basil pesto from scratch.

Ingredients needed to make pasta al pesto from scratch.

Ready to use pesto can sometimes be a good alternative. In this recipe you can also find best pesto recommendations.

Ingredients needed to make pasta al pesto using store-bough pesto.

Durum Wheat Pasta - durum wheat trofie pasta is one of the traditional and most famous Ligurian types of pasta that pairs perfectly with pesto sauce. You can also find it by the name trofiette. While you cannot make trofie al pesto without trofie, you can still make pasta al pesto using exactly the same ingredients with a different pasta shape. For the best and as authentic as it can get pasta al pesto use trenett e (just like in Disney Pixar movie Luca), linguin e or classic durum wheat spa ghetti.
Pesto Genovese:
- use homemade basil pesto whenever possible.
  See the detailed overview of the ingredients, step by step instructions so as top tips & tricks to make delicious bright green pesto that never turns brown in the Pesto Genovese recipe post.
- use your own homemade pesto that you’ve stored in the freezer!
- as the last option, use top quality store-bought pesto. In case I’m out of my homemade pesto, this is the only store-bought brand I use. It’s as close to the homemade version as it can get, both in terms of taste and in quality of the ingredients.
Potatoes - 1 large potato or 2 medium ones.
Green Beans - fresh or frozen green beans or Fresh beans which is just a variety of green beans.
Pine Nutes - topping pasta with pine nuts is optional but they truly completement the rest of the ingredients, so try and see it for yourself.
Parmesan Cheese - freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving.

TOP TIP: If you have any leftovers from your Potatoes and Green Beans salad feel free to use them in this recipe. In this case you’ll need to dice potatoes and cut green beans and add them to the bowl with pasta and pesto.

Trofie pasta with pesto, potatoes and green beans on a plate with basil leaves in the background.

How To Make - Step By Step

If you’re using store-bought pesto skip directly to making pasta al pesto. If you’re planning to use your own frozen pesto, make sure to thaw it before use, preferably in the fridge.

Step 1: Prepare Basil Pesto.

In a food processor add cheese, garlic, pine nuts and salt. Blitz until crumbly.
Start adding basil leaves alternating with extra virgin olive oil. Blitz until smooth. Make sure to stop frequently and scrape the sides of the bowl.

Process of making basil pesto in a food processor.

For more detailed instructions see how to make Pesto Genovese perfect every single time.

Step 2: Cook pasta, potatoes and beans.

Peel, wash and cut potatoes into ½ inch (1 cm) thick cubes.
Wash and trim green beans cutting each into 1.5 inch (4 cm) long pieces.

Process of cooking pasta, potatoes and green beans.

In a pot filled with cold water add potato cubes. Bring water and potatoes to a boil, add salt and pasta.
Cook for 2 minutes then add green beans. Continue cooking for another 6-8 minutes (depending on the pasta type you've chosen) until pasta is cooked ‘al dente’ - has a slight bite to it.
Reserve 1-2 cups of cooking liquid then drain.

Step 3: Put everything together.

Process of assembling all ingredients together.

Transfer pasta with potatoes and green beans to a large bowl.
Add pesto and pine nuts.
Mix gently adding some pasta cooking liquid to help pasta get perfectly coated with pesto. If desired you can finish it with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Top Tips For Success

Reserve some pasta cooking liquid. You’ll need it to help pesto sauce perfectly coat the pasta and give it its signature extra creaminess.
Use leftover potatoes and green beans. If you have any leftover cooked potatoes and green beans from making Potato & Green Beans salad feel free to use them in this recipe. In this case you’ll need to dice potatoes and cut green beans and add them to the bowl with pasta and pesto.
Make bright green pesto that never turns brown. Even when mixed with hot pasta. Use the trick I shared in the dedicated to Pesto Genovese. This way you’ll easily impress your guests with bright green pasta al pesto that never turns brown (which, by the way, is an absolutely natural process of oxidation that happens to basil and does not much effect the taste).
Pay attention to pasta cooking time. Depending on the pasta you’ve chosen for your pasta al pesto you might add green beans at the same time with pasta. Check instructions for pasta cooking time on the package (it’s different for all types of pasta!). Now consider that green beans cook in about 8-10 minutes.
So if pasta cooks for the same time add them to the pot together. If pasta requires more than 10 minutes of cooking time it’s best to add pasta first and after a couple of minutes add green beans. This way green beans will still be slightly crunchy while pasta will be perfectly 'al dente' as it should be.

Pasta al pesto on a place with Parmesan cheese grater, fresh basil leaves and green beans laid in the background,

FAQs

What is the best pasta to use with basil pesto sauce?

The most traditional pasta for pesto is without a doubt - trofie or trofiette pasta. After all, it comes from the same region as authentic Pesto Genovese!
While most types of pasta it’s produced on industrial basis these days, it’s a type of hand–made pasta with history.
Some say their origin dates back the times of the Crusades. They were produced by rubbing - with a quick and expert movement of the hand - thin, short cylinders of dough on the pastry board.
Despite apparent simplicity of the process this pasta shape is quite difficult to make by novice.
Besides trofie, pasta al pesto can be made with long pasta shape like trenette (typical to Liguria) and more common linguine and spaghetti. Make sure they’re bronze cut and made of durum wheat flour.
While technically you can use any kind of pasta shape, it’s best to trust Italian on their pasta choice mentioned above.

How much pesto per pasta serving?

As a rule of thumb, use 2 tablespoons on pesto per pasta serving. The exact amount of course depends on personal taste.
Keep in mind that pesto always need to be slightly diluted with pasta cooking water to have perfect creamy consistency that will coat pasta without letting it drown in the sauce.
It’s best to start with a heaping tablespoon per person, mix, taste and add more if needed.

More Delicious Recipes With Pesto

Full Recipe