Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce
This pasta with pesto cream sauce combines a classic white sauce with a vibrant garlic-basil pesto for a memorable dairy dish that takes creamy pasta to new levels!
I have a funny relationship with pesto. I don’t love the flavor, but I find myself making dishes with pesto again and again, and whenever I serve it, everyone loves it. My girls, who I would think would run away at the sight of “green” noodles, actually love this pasta with creamy pesto sauce!
This recipe is basically a combination of two of my other pasta recipes. The white sauce is pretty much the same as the one as use for my best-ever creamy macaroni and cheese (and is the base for most of my cream sauces) and the pesto is similar to my pasta with garlic-basil pesto. If you are just looking for a creamy pasta, you can skip the pesto and make spaghetti and cream sauce, and if you are looking for a pareve pesto pasta, you can skip the cream sauce. (Also, if you do have some kids who are scared of green noodles and other who are more adventurous, you can keep some sauce plain and add noodles to that while you add pesto to the rest!)
The white sauce is made by first making a roux (pronounced rue) out of butter and flour, and then adding milk and stirring for several minutes over the fire, after which it gets thick. It’s best to make this using a whisk, as the roux gets incorporated fastest that way and it thickens nicely, with no lumps.
You can use store-bought pesto, but it’s really better homemade and it’s not hard to make. I make my pesto in my food processor. I have a Braun and that’s always the brand I recommend. I’ve had mine forever and it never fails! This pesto is dairy because it contains Parmesan cheese, but you can skip the cheese and make it pareve instead. (Be aware that some Parmesan cheese requires you to wait six hours before eating meat.) Traditional pesto contains pine nuts, but since those are very expensive, I use almonds and it comes out delicious. You can really use any nuts you have around.
Enjoy this pasta with a light summery salad for a delicious meal — whether it’s Shavuos or any time you’re in the mood for a dairy delicacy that tastes gourmet but isn’t hard at all to prepare!
Pasta with Creamy Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1- lb box spaghetti cooked and drained according to package directions
Pesto*:
- 1 bunch basil leaves, checked (or 1 package frozen cubes)
- 2 cloves garlic (or 2 frozen cubes)
- ½ cup oil, plus more as needed
- ¾ cup nuts (I use almonds)
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Cream Sauce:
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheese
Instructions
- For the pesto, place all ingredients in a food processor fitted with the s-blade. Process until it’s a smooth, creamy consistency. (If it seems too dry and thick, add a little more oil.)
- For the cream sauce, in a large pot, melt butter over medium flame. Add flour and mix vigorously with a whisk. Add milk and keep mixing until it thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Add the cheese and keep whisking until cheese is melted and fully incorporated.
- Add the pesto to the cream sauce and whisk together. Add the pasta and mix gently with a spoon to combine.
Notes
Recipe by Faigy Murray | https://mykitchenmystudio.com/pasta-with-pesto-cream-sauce/
