White Pesto Pasta

Grey bowl of spaghetti in a white sauce surrounded by a glass of water and lemon halves.

This quick and easy White Pesto Pasta recipe is creamy, luxurious, and only needs a handful of basic ingredients - perfect for getting dinner on the table in just 15 minutes!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Author: Margie Nomura

Ingredients

7 oz spaghetti
1.75 oz walnuts
1 tbsp dried oregano
2.6 oz cream cheese or ricotta
2 garlic cloves
scant 1 oz Parmesan
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of salt
Olive oil to serve
Black pepper to serve

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start by boiling the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving some pasta water.
Chop the walnuts, mince the garlic, and finely grate the Parmesan.
In a bowl, stir together the walnuts, garlic, oregano, cream cheese, lemon juice and zest, and a pinch of salt. Alternatively, pound them in a mortar and pestle, or blitz in a food processor.
Add the pasta back to the pan and stir through the pesto along with a splash of pasta water.
Plate up with lots more grated Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and some cracked black pepper.

Notes

You can make this pesto in the food processor, using a mortar and pestle, or just using a sharp knife. Each method will produce a different texture, so it depends on what you find easiest and what you're aiming for in the final dish.

The food processor will make a smooth, uniform sauce.
The mortar and pestle will make a smooth sauce with a bit more texture.
If you simply chop/grate all the ingredients up very small and mix them into the cream cheese, you'll end up with a roughly textured sauce.

Nutrition