Best 15-Minute Creamy Pesto (Printable)

Quick pasta with creamy pesto sauce, ready in 15 minutes for a flavorful weeknight option.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 14 oz penne or fusilli pasta

→ Creamy Pesto Sauce

02 - ½ cup heavy cream
03 - ⅓ cup basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
04 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 1 small garlic clove, minced
06 - 1 tbsp olive oil
07 - Salt, to taste
08 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

09 - 2 tbsp toasted pine nuts (optional)
10 - Fresh basil leaves
11 - Extra Parmesan cheese

# Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain pasta.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
03 - Pour in heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Whisk in basil pesto and grated Parmesan until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
04 - Add drained pasta to skillet and toss to coat evenly in creamy pesto sauce. Add reserved pasta water as needed to adjust sauce consistency.
05 - Divide pasta into bowls. Garnish with toasted pine nuts, fresh basil leaves, and extra Parmesan cheese as desired. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It rescues you on nights when takeout feels like the only option but you crave something real and comforting.
  • The sauce clings to every twist of pasta like it was always meant to be there.
  • You can make it with what's already in your pantry and still impress anyone at the table.
02 -
  • Reserve that pasta water before you drain, it's the secret to a sauce that hugs the noodles instead of sliding off.
  • Don't let the garlic brown or it'll turn bitter and ruin the sweetness of the cream.
  • Taste the sauce before you add the pasta because once it's mixed, fixing the seasoning gets tricky.
03 -
  • Use a skillet wide enough to toss the pasta without it spilling over, it makes mixing so much easier.
  • Freshly grated Parmesan melts smoother than the pre-shredded kind, which often has anti-caking agents that make the sauce grainy.
  • Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over low heat, shaking constantly, because they go from golden to burnt in seconds.
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