Creamy Pesto Pasta Recipe

creamy pesto pasta on white plate from above

5 from 135 votes

A 10-minute creamy pesto pasta made with just five simple ingredients and no heavy cream, this delicious dish is perfect for busy weeknights. Perfect on it's own or with your favorite cooked protein.

Prep Time1

Cook Time9

Total Time10

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 480kcal

Author: Jami Boys

Equipment

4-6 quart stock pot
3-quart saucepan

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour* (see notes for gluten free option)
2 cups milk
½ to 1 teaspoon salt to taste
½ to ¾ cup pesto to taste
¾ pound pasta
optional pasta water or milk

Instructions

Start the water boiling for the pasta. When it boils, cook as directed on the package.
Meanwhile, make a white sauce by melting the butter in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until combined; cook for a couple minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add the milk and stir over medium-high heat until thickened (TIP: If too thick, add a bit of reserved pasta water or a bit more milk, though it will thin when the pesto is added, too.)
Add the pesto to the white sauce, stir and remove from heat.
Drain the pasta and return pasta to the pot. This is where you can add cooked protein, spinach, dried tomatoes or cheese.
Toss the sauce with the pasta in the pot and serve.

Notes

*Flour: Some have mentioned this being too much flour or tasting "floury." I based the recipe on the classic white sauce ratio of 2TB butter and flour to 1 cup milk, simply doubled for the recipe. That said, if it seems too much for you, you can decrease it to 3TB, but much lower than that and your sauce many not thicken.

Variations:

Add cooked chopped cooked chicken, shrimp, sausage, or smoked salmon.
Add chopped fresh spinach along with the sauce and toss it all together.
Add chopped dried tomatoes.
Top pasta with fresh chopped tomatoes.

Gluten Free Option:

Omit flour and use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or potato starch, whisking it into the cold milk before pouring into the melted butter. Whisk as directed over the heat until thickened and proceed with the recipe (if it's not thick enough, whisk more starch, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, to a small amount of cold milk and add to the heating sauce).

Nutrition