Quick and Easy Pesto Recipes

BH&G Food Editors
·9 min read

Basil Pesto

Start to finish:

To store pesto, cover the surface with plastic wrap (this keeps it from turning brown) and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
To store pesto, cover the surface with plastic wrap (this keeps it from turning brown) and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Start from scratch for your pesto dinner. You're six ingredients away from homemade basil pesto that rivals anything from a jar. You can't beat the freshness, and it doesn't get more traditional than this classic pesto recipe.

Chicken and Pasta with Spinach-Basil Pesto

Pin this pesto recipe to use as a marinade, a pizza sauce or a salad dressing.
Pin this pesto recipe to use as a marinade, a pizza sauce or a salad dressing.

In this recipe for pesto you get double the greens when you use both spinach and basil in the pesto sauce. Stir the pesto into a mixture of fresh veggies and pasta, then top with cooked chicken breast for an all-in-one meal that serves the whole family. Those extra two cups of spinach leaves help make this a healthy pesto recipe that you can use in place of store bought.

Italian Pesto Pasta Salad

If you have time, try DIY pesto! Combine 2 cups fresh basil, 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 3 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 Tbsp. water, 1 clove garlic, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper. Process or blend until desired consistency.
If you have time, try DIY pesto! Combine 2 cups fresh basil, 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 3 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 Tbsp. water, 1 clove garlic, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and black pepper. Process or blend until desired consistency.

Upgrade pesto from mere condiment to side-dish star in a pesto pasta recipe. Cannellini beans and elbow macaroni play nice with pesto, while baby arugula packs peppery punch. Using store-bought sauce speeds this easy pesto recipe along, but you can always make your own if you prefer homemade.

Twice-Baked Pesto Mashed Potatoes

Go green (basil pesto) or red (sun-dried tomato pesto) to make this next-level twice-baked mashed potatoes recipe. Pesto mashed potatoes are stuffed inside a baked potato shell for a starchy side dish you'll crave again and again.
Go green (basil pesto) or red (sun-dried tomato pesto) to make this next-level twice-baked mashed potatoes recipe. Pesto mashed potatoes are stuffed inside a baked potato shell for a starchy side dish you'll crave again and again.

Mashed and twice-baked potatoes are both nice, but adding pesto creates a next-level side dish. Mix your favorite pesto (both basil and tomato pesto recipes are good) with the potatoes, then add them back into the skins and cook again. Serve with extra pesto on the side and pine nuts on top for a tasty upgrade to a classic twice-baked potato.

Pineapple Pesto Chicken Wraps

Skillet cooked chicken breasts topped with a homemade pesto of spinach, Parmesan, and a bit of pineapple create a sweet-savory weeknight dinner idea.
Skillet cooked chicken breasts topped with a homemade pesto of spinach, Parmesan, and a bit of pineapple create a sweet-savory weeknight dinner idea.

We love the speed and ease of wrap recipes for weeknight dinners, and this pesto chicken wrap is definitely both speedy and easy (plus full of fresh flavors). Pineapple in the pesto and the filling gives a tropical flavor to the fiber- and protein-packed pesto chicken dinner.

Ravioli with Spinach Pesto

Purchased ravioli or tortellini makes a quick base for a pasta dinner. This recipe gets a boost from summer squash, spinach, and basil. Dinner is ready in 20 minutes.
Purchased ravioli or tortellini makes a quick base for a pasta dinner. This recipe gets a boost from summer squash, spinach, and basil. Dinner is ready in 20 minutes.

Four-cheese ravioli and sliced yellow summer squash add buttery sweetness to your homemade pesto in this 20-minute toss. Add a bit of chicken, pork, or other protein to make this pesto pasta a hearty meal that sticks with you longer. Thanks to its short cook time, you can make this simple pesto recipe any night you need a quick dinner.

Espresso-Rubbed Steak with Green Chile Pesto

A zesty rub and spicy pesto topping adds pizzazz to simple grilled steak.
A zesty rub and spicy pesto topping adds pizzazz to simple grilled steak.

Pep up your pesto with the addition of Anaheim chile peppers (poblano peppers will do in a pinch). The sauce is incredible on sweet espresso-rubbed flank steaks. Sound hard? Consider: This pesto sauce recipe (including cooking the steak) takes just 30 minutes.

Spinach-Oregano Pesto

Start to finish:

Next time you make pizza, swap out the tomato sauce for this tasty blend.
Next time you make pizza, swap out the tomato sauce for this tasty blend.

This may look like your traditional pesto recipe, but check the ingredient list and you’ll see it has a whole new flavor profile. Spinach replaces basil, walnuts replace pine nuts, and Asiago cheese replaces Parmesan. Sometimes you just need to mix things up, and this walnut pesto recipe does exactly that.

Garden Veggie Linguine with Cilantro Pesto

Top this fresh vegetarian pasta recipe with a homemade cilantro pesto for a 30-minute meal that will use up plenty of farmers market finds.
Top this fresh vegetarian pasta recipe with a homemade cilantro pesto for a 30-minute meal that will use up plenty of farmers market finds.

Your food processor makes quick work of this homemade pesto dish that features two oranges to tang up traditional pesto ingredients. Toss the sweet sauce with cooked linguine, carrots, and zucchini. This basic pesto recipe is ready in just 30 minutes, which means you can dig in that much sooner.

Buy It: Hamilton Beach 10-Cup Food Processor, $44.99, Amazon

Garlic Scape and Basil Pesto

Start to finish:

Rather than all basil, blend up a pesto with a handful of chopped scapes or green garlic. Their subtle garlic notes make the perfect addition to this pesto sauce (a delicious crostini or pasta topping).
Rather than all basil, blend up a pesto with a handful of chopped scapes or green garlic. Their subtle garlic notes make the perfect addition to this pesto sauce (a delicious crostini or pasta topping).

Garlic scapes are a little different than traditional garlic cloves. The scapes are the long, green stems that grow from the tops of hardneck garlic. Scapes still have a garlicky flavor, but it's not quite as strong as the more assertive cloves so you don't need to worry about a cup of scapes overwhelming your basil pesto's flavor.

Copycat Pesto Cavatappi

Start to finish:

Pesto Cavatappi is a delicious, easy recipe perfect for busy weeknights! Start with chewy pasta and toss it with a homemade pesto cream sauce, tomatoes, and mushrooms. It's even better than the Noodles & Company version!
Pesto Cavatappi is a delicious, easy recipe perfect for busy weeknights! Start with chewy pasta and toss it with a homemade pesto cream sauce, tomatoes, and mushrooms. It's even better than the Noodles & Company version!

Copycat alert! Purchased pesto can help you make this pesto pasta recipe, or you can make fresh basil pesto from scratch. This recipe is a copycat of a famous pasta recipe from a fast-casual restaurant, and you can hardly taste the difference between the two. Mushrooms, a tomato, and a splash of white wine all help punch up this yummy pasta dinner.

Turkey Tenderloins with Cilantro Pesto

This Southwestern pesto is also good on chicken, fish, or shrimp.
This Southwestern pesto is also good on chicken, fish, or shrimp.

Blend your own cilantro pesto recipe for this low-calorie grilled turkey dinner. Brush it on turkey breast tenderloins during the quick 12 minutes of grilling time, then serve more alongside for dipping. While you're at the grill, cook up some grilled veggies to serve with the turkey dinner for even more freshness.

Pesto-Prosciutto Flatbread

The flatbread recipe is full of Mediterranean flavor thanks to tomato pesto, prosciutto, provolone cheese, and peppery arugula.
The flatbread recipe is full of Mediterranean flavor thanks to tomato pesto, prosciutto, provolone cheese, and peppery arugula.

Add this pesto pizza recipe to the menu tonight instead of delivery. Purchased flatbread dough and dried tomato pesto speed along the process of making homemade pizza, and prosciutto, provolone cheese, and arugula make tasty offbeat toppings. Your pesto takes the place of pizza sauce, so don't be shy about spreading it on the crust.

Pesto Chicken with Zucchini

Pesto is the rub for bone-in chicken breasts in this healthy dinner that also features pesto-tossed zucchini and yellow summer squash. Six ingredients is all it takes to whip up this chicken pesto recipe that slow-roasts for ultimate juiciness. A quick broil finishes the veggies so your side dish is included!

Baby Greens-Pecorino Pesto

Here's a homemade pesto unlike the usual, there's no basil! Fully customize this pesto recipe with your choice of greens and nuts for the flavor profile that best matches your meal.
Here's a homemade pesto unlike the usual, there's no basil! Fully customize this pesto recipe with your choice of greens and nuts for the flavor profile that best matches your meal.

Mix and match the greens, nuts, and cheese in this fully customizable pesto recipe. Then pop the fresh recipe into an ice cube tray for individually portioned servings whenever you need a sauce for pasta, chicken, or veggies. You can make a pesto recipe without pine nuts, without cheese, or even without basil!

Buy It: OXO Good Grips No-Spill Ice Cube Tray, $9.99, Bed Bath & Beyond

Pea and Mint Pesto

Chopped mint gives this pesto a boost of fresh flavor, while peas add a helping of veggies. You'll want to keep this easy pesto recipe on hand for your next pasta night!
Chopped mint gives this pesto a boost of fresh flavor, while peas add a helping of veggies. You'll want to keep this easy pesto recipe on hand for your next pasta night!

For a new take on traditional basil pesto, add a healthy helping of peas. Instead of basil, we add mint to this simple pesto recipe to help give it a bright, fresh flavor. Save this recipe for the summer, and use it to top off an easy pasta dinner.

Open-Face Pesto-Chicken Burgers

Fresh mozzarella cheese tops these grilled chicken burgers. They're served on a slice of ciabatta bread that's been topped with fresh basil leaves.
Fresh mozzarella cheese tops these grilled chicken burgers. They're served on a slice of ciabatta bread that's been topped with fresh basil leaves.

A ground chicken burger sets the tone for this twist on the standard burger. Italy inspired the ingredients: basil pesto, garlic, ciabatta bread, olive oil, mozzarella, and tomatoes. You'll need a knife and fork for this one!

Creamy Vegetable and Tortellini Soup with Pesto

This ingenious soup is beyond easy - just toss ingredients in a pot and turn on the heat!
This ingenious soup is beyond easy - just toss ingredients in a pot and turn on the heat!

Dinner doesn’t get much faster than this! In under 30 minutes you’ll be slurping this six-ingredient soup recipe that gets huge flavor from a generous amount of purchased basil pesto. Or if you’ve already whipped up a homemade basil pesto, use it here.

Buy It: AmazonBasics 4.3-Quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, $39.99, Amazon

Almond-Pesto Fish with Kale and Mushroom Grain Bowls

It's a grain bowl, it's a fish dinner, it's an all-in-one meal loaded with 10 g fiber! Dig into this healthy recipe to reap all the nutritional benefits.
It's a grain bowl, it's a fish dinner, it's an all-in-one meal loaded with 10 g fiber! Dig into this healthy recipe to reap all the nutritional benefits.

This healthy fish recipe takes about an hour to make, but it includes protein, grain, vegetables, and some of your dairy needs so there’s no need for any side dishes. That makes this a relatively fast and definitely fresh recipe for a weeknight. You can easily swap in one of your homemade recipes for the purchased basil pesto that is called for.

Dried Tomato Pesto

This classic tomato pesto is seasoned with fresh basil, parsley, and garlic. Mix in shredded Parmesan and you're all set for pasta night.
This classic tomato pesto is seasoned with fresh basil, parsley, and garlic. Mix in shredded Parmesan and you're all set for pasta night.

Whittle out just 20 minutes of kitchen time and you can make this tomatoey take on a pesto recipe. We keep it fresh with Italian parsley and lemon juice so you can add big flavor to eggs, meat, pasta, or whatever is on the menu this week. If you need a break from basil, this dried tomato pesto recipe is a happy replacement.

Asparagus and Poached Eggs with Lemony Pesto

Look for crisp spinach leaves that are free of blemishes of moisture. Add zest with lemon and pesto.
Look for crisp spinach leaves that are free of blemishes of moisture. Add zest with lemon and pesto.

Is it breakfast or dinner? No matter when you choose to make this asparagus recipe with a poached egg, we expect you’ll be licking the plate clean to get every bit of the bright citrusy pesto sauce. Yep, this easy pesto recipe is that good.