Lemon Pesto Pasta

White bowl with pesto pasta twirled around a fork.

5 from 3 votes

This creamy lemon pesto pasta recipe features a no-cook sauce made from fresh lemon zest, lemon juice, pine nuts, herbs, and plenty of cheese. It's an easy dinner that comes together in just about 30 minutes.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Servings: large servings

Calories: 863kcal

Author: Karishma Pradhan

Equipment

Food processor

Ingredients

1 batch lemon pesto
8 ounces dried pasta such as spaghetti, linguine, or trofie
Salt and black pepper for seasoning
Extra-virgin olive oil and grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese optional, for serving

Instructions

Boil the water: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, make the lemon pesto if you haven't already.
Cook the pasta: Add 8 ounces dried pasta to the boiling water, and cook until al dente. Reserve ¾ cup of pasta water.
Toss: Transfer the hot pasta to a large serving bowl. Toss with about ⅓ of the pesto to start. Taste, and adjust seasoning as needed (salt, black pepper, etc.) If desired, you can add more of the pesto.
Add pasta water 1 – 2 tablespoons at a time until the sauce coats the noodles. You may not need all of the pasta water.
Serve: Divide pasta among serving bowls and top with more olive oil and cheese, if desired. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Serving: This pasta is best served slightly warmed through or at room temperature. This lemon pesto is a no-cook sauce, so it stays at room temperature! When you toss it with the pasta, the heat of the noodles will warm it up slightly.

How Lemony Should the Pasta Be? Everyone has a different tolerance for acidity, so you can adjust the amount of lemon juice to your own preference:

1 tablespoon = subtle acidity
2 tablespoons = moderate level of acidity
3 tablespoons = strong level of acidity, for all of us lemon lovers!

Note that the less lemon juice you use, the more pasta cooking water you may need to create a creamy sauce.

Nutrition