Lemony fresh with fresh basil pesto and juicy cherry tomatoes, this spaghetti dish is summer on a plate. This one-pot summer dish is a celebration of flavors. In addition, this Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta is vegan, kid-approved, and ready in 20 minutes.
School has started and kids are back to school. Parents are in search of simple, delicious, and healthy recipes, which they can pack in a lunch box or after school supper.
Pasta with lots of tomato sauce is my kids favourite and this recipe is laden with juicy cherry tomatoes.
Fragrant basil pesto with summer fresh lemon and garlic makes this dish super special. Trust a fellow mom here and make this for your dinner tonight. Kids will ask for seconds, that I promise.
What Ingredients are Needed for Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta?
Spaghetti- Whole wheat spaghetti noodles.
Cherry Tomatoes- Juicy farm-fresh cherry tomatoes.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil- Fruity olive oil gives this pasta a lovely flavor.
Basil Pesto- Fresh organic garden-fresh basil with all the other ingredients creates a wonderful pesto. Spaghetti coated with this nutty lemony pesto is just bliss.
Lemon
Red pepper Flakes
How to Make Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta-
The first step is to make a super flavorful basil pesto. Get lots of fresh basil, garlic, toasted pine nuts or walnuts, and olive oil. Parmesan cheese is also an ingredient for pesto but this time I skipped it.
I am trying to make more diners without cheese and other fat-laden stuff, and this dish was light and yummy. We did not miss cheese for a second. One change I did is to add the juice of one lemon to the basil pesto and it really changed the whole flavor profile.
The second step is to boil the pasta till al dente. It's really important to salt the boiling water to make pasta flavourful. Adding salt while making the pasta is not advisable and no Italian will forgive you for that.
Then the cooking process starts. Take a pan and heat a little bit of olive oil in it. Add a little bit of chopped garlic to it. Add cherry tomatoes and saute till they look soft and burst open. Mix pesto and stir it once. Now add pasta, a little bit of pasta water, and some red pepper flakes. Toss the pasta to coat it nicely with all the pesto.
Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve. After making this once I am sure you will make this again and again.
You May Also Want to Check Out These Other Pasta Recipes-
Sun-dried Tomato & Spinach Pasta
New Recipes
Lemon Basil Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 10 Oz Whole Wheat Spaghetti (Cook according to the package instruction)
For lemon Basil Pesto
- 1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1 Clove Garlic
- 2 Tbsp Walnuts/pine Nuts
- 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Lemon Juice from the whole lemon
- Salt According to taste
Other ingredients For paking the pasta
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Chopped Garlic
- 1 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
- 1 Cup Juicy Cherry Tomatoes
- Basil Leaves for Garnish
Instructions
- In a food processor or mixture combine basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice, walnuts and olive oil to make a delicious pesto. Add a little bit of salt to it.
- Cook pasta according to the package instructions.
- Take a pan and heat oil in it.
- Once it's hot enough add chopped garlic to it. Saute for 30 seconds.
- Add cherry tomatoes to it and cook till they burst out.
- Mix basil pesto with the tomatoes.
- Toss spaghetti in this pasta pan and coat it nicely with the sauce.
- Add red pepper flakes and after adjusting the seasoning, serve garnished with fresh basil leaves.
- Enjoy.
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