Pesto Pasta, My Gourmet “Instant Noodles”
“Fast food”, not necessarily means instant noodles or junk food
Recently, I am hooked on making pesto. Pesto is a versatile sauce with many uses. Nowadays I like to use it for making a very quick, almost instant pesto pasta lunch. On the weekends, I will usually make a small quantity of pesto (just enough to last me for a few days) and keep the pesto sealed and chilled in the fridge. Whenever I’m hungry and fancy a quick meal, I will cook some angel hair (a type of pasta which cooks in 2 minutes) and toss the pesto with the noodles. It takes me less than 5 minutes to whip up this plate with my ready stash of pesto in the fridge, almost the same time I take to cook instant noodles. How’s that for fast food? This is healthy and quite gourmet for a change from the usual fast food I eat, not bad for 5 minutes work. If you prefer it more fancy, you can also grill some seafood on the side and it will become seafood pesto pasta; the possibilities are limitless.
Like Noob Cook on Facebook | Recipe Updates via Email |
Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 1 serving (about 80g) of pasta noodles (I usually use angel hair)
- 2 tbsp pesto (either home-made or store bought)
- 1 tbsp salt and waterGarnishing ideas (optional)
- cherry tomatoes, halved
- basil leaves
- pine nuts
- Grated parmesan cheeseDirections
1. Add 1 tbsp of salt to a pot of water (enough to cook pasta) to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Do not discard the water used to cook the pasta.
2. When the pasta is cooked, drain them onto a serving plate. Toss the noodles with about 2 tbsp pesto and 2 tbsp of reserved pasta water. Toss well and garnish with cherry tomatoes, cheese, pine nuts and basil leaves.
Pesto Recipes
- Basil Pesto
- Macademia Pesto
- Baked Salmon with Pesto Wrapped in Foil
- Pesto spread with bread for soup
- Pesto Pizza (upcoming recipe)
===
For those who have not visited “The Noob’s Guide to Microwave Cooking with Samsung“, do check out the clam chowder and chicken Caesar salad recipes written by me which were published last week.
| If you enjoy this article, please share, tks! |     |
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
5 minutes? Wow, this is fast and healthy. A good way to cook up a nice pasta dish like this.
It’s a healthy and easy to fix meal! My daughter loves pasta with pesto. I haven’t got down to making a fresh supply.
wow.. this is really fast.. i guess this recipe comes in handy, now we can also try to make this:) Thanks for sharing!
what brand of angel’s hair do you use? Mine always turn out overcooked :(
see the photo at http://ingredients.noobcook.com/angel-hair-pasta/ … that’s the brand I use. Follow the package instructions (mine is 2 minutes), add the pasta and start counting the time only when the water is boiling. If you follow the timing and it’s still overcooked to you, next time reduce the timing by half a minute and so on, until you get the texture you like. Hope this helps :)
Oh…I think I should get down to making pesto too. Looks so healthy and delicious…yum. I will add to everything I think :D
I loveee pesto!!!
But store bought ones are so exxx! Best is to grow your own basil plant and “harvest” once a month. hahahaa!
Btw, congrats on your collaboration with Samsung babe ;)
Thanks girl! I bought a few basil plants with the intention of having an endless supply of free basil… but end up just getting an endless cycle of buying new basil plants, haha
Yay yay! Finally a food I recognize. :P Pesto is yummy!
Hey girl, I miss you! Sorry I have been so busy. Oh yay, finally something you recognise, I’m glad hehe
Definitely a gourmet version of instant pasta and healthier too. Loved it!
I agree pesto is so versatile! So yummy and healthy =)
You reminded me. I need to make more pesto for storage next time so that I can have it as “instant” as this :)
I think the ingredients are much cheaper in US :)
I happen to have some leftover pesto. Though it’s darkened with time, so not such a pretty green as yours 8). Thanks for this fast fresh recipe.
Beautiful plate of pasta. It is really just the same as instant noodle with artificial stock powder. Love how the pesto sticks to the pasta when you took the shot.
Wiffy, this is indeed an “instant” noodle, quick healthy delicious one meal dish.
agree, I do that too exactly like yours, a perfect meatless meal. Pine nuts make the dish more special.
i love pesto pasta! this is such a delightful meal!
I love pesto with pasta! Sounds great with seafood too.
Oh yes, will be perfect with grilled prawns and scallops, yum!
This is my kind of food too!! Love pesto!
I need to seriously become a food photographer, gotta be a good job
It’s not a job for me, just a hobby ;)
Love this kind of quick and healthy dish. Your photos are very attractive!
Yummie, this pasta dish looks delicious and the nicest thing is that was prepared so easily…terrific for a quick meal :-)
This pasta looks delicious, Wiffy! I like Aglio Olio for instant pasta, but this sounds like a great idea too! Thanks for sharing :)
Love aglio olio too!
wow…ur fast food is so different from my junk heheheh
I like the junky type of fast food too, have to pretend to eat healthy once in a while, lol
Thanks for sharing this superfast pasta! Looks so simple and delicious :)
I have always loved pesto and often find the bottled pesto at gourmet food store irresistible. Thanks for sharing so many pesto recipes…
Hmmm… there’s really no excuse not to eat healthy when you can whip up a pasta dish like this in minutes!
thanks for this! it came just in time. i was eating lobster pesto pasta at a restaurant and im super in love with it. i was about to google for a pesto recipe and coincidentally i was reading ur blog!
any recommendation for a brand of pesto sauce? :D
hi maureen, sorry I have not tried store-bought pesto before… wah, lobster pesto pasta! :)~
yummy! such pretty looking pasta…I must try making my own pesto one day too hehe
Hi, I had been reading Noob cook recipes for about a year & I like some of the recipes which my mum used to cook .
How to make mushroom soup from variety kind of fresh mushroom ? which I bought from wet market.