Main Dishes
Lemon & Garlic Pasta with Easy Pesto
Prep
10 minutes
Cook
20 minutes
Yield
2 -3
This deliciously fresh pesto pasta recipe is so flavorful and perfect for a quick, easy dinner.
This delicious pesto pasta recipe combines the butter, citrus taste of lemon with flavorful garlic to make a flavor-packed pesto dish that’ll blow the whole family away. What I love about this recipe is how fresh it tastes and how easy and quick it is to make.
Why you’ll love this pesto pasta:
- Quick: Make this pesto pasta recipe in only 30-minutes
- Nut-Free: Many people avoid pesto pasta because it often contains nuts but this recipe is entirely nut-free
- Flavorful: The addition of lemon and garlic in this recipe really adds an extra pop of flavor among the herby pesto
Ingredient Notes:
Pesto: It’s really easy to make your own, fresh pesto. All you need is a combination of fresh herbs like basil, dill, or even parsley, and you blend it all together with oil and parmesan cheese. It’s really easy to make and a great way to use up herbs that are going bad in your fridge or garden.
Burrata: Burrata is an Italian cow milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer casing is solid but the inside is cream-like. If you can’t find burrata, you can use mozzarella but it will give a bit different of a texture and will take longer to melt. I love to use burrata in salads, on its own, or as a way to make dishes super creamy like this burrata pasta.
How to make pesto pasta:
- With a mortar and pestle, make the pesto by combining fresh basil, dill, olive oil, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta and setting aside.
- Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add butter. Add shallots and garlic, saute 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Turn to low heat, stir in lemon zest, edamame or peas, salt and pepper – cook for a few minutes to warm the edamame or peas. Add lemon juice, parmesan cheese and about 1/4 cup pasta water, then stir in the noodles. Cook on low about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. creaminess.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper and parmesan cheese OR add more pasta water for more
- To serve, plate pasta on a large bowl or platter, add the burrata ball and spoon over pesto sauce.
Expert Tips & FAQ:
I don’t have a mortar & pestle: If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can pulse the pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor to make the pesto.
Burrata: If you can’t find burrata you can simply omit from the recipe and top with more parmesan cheese or another favorite protein. A soft ball of mozzarella cheese would also work.
Other pasta recipes you’ll love:
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Lemon & Garlic Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/3 package spaghettini
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- zest of one lemon
- 1/2 cup frozen edamame or peas
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- juice of one lemon
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 ball of burrata
For the pesto
- 1/4 cup packed fresh basil
- 1/4 cup packed fresh dill
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- With a mortar and pestle, make the pesto by combining fresh basil, dill, olive oil, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta and setting aside.
- Place a large frying pan over medium heat and add butter. Add shallots and garlic, saute 3-4 minutes until softened.
- Turn to low heat, stir in lemon zest, edamame or peas, salt and pepper – cook for a few minutes to warm the edamame or peas. Add lemon juice, parmesan cheese and about 1/4 cup pasta water, then stir in the noodles. Cook on low about 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. creaminess.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper and parmesan cheese OR add more pasta water for more
- To serve, plate pasta on a large bowl or platter, add the burrata ball and spoon over pesto sauce.
