This pistachio basil pesto pasta is bright, nutty, and comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta, blending pistachios, fresh basil, lemon zest, and Parmigiano Reggiano into a sauce finished with butter and pasta water.

If you love pesto pasta, you will also want to try my Creamy Pistachio Pasta, Busiate with Trapanese Pesto, and Pasta with Ricotta and Peas.

A bowl and a pan filled with rigatoni pasta coated in a creamy green pesto sauce, with a fork placed in the bowl.

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Ingredient Notes
How to Make Pistachio Basil Pesto Pasta
Recipe Tips
Storing
More Recipes Like This
Pistachio Basil Pesto Pasta

This is a twist on classic basil pesto, swapping pine nuts for pistachios and finishing the sauce in a warm skillet with butter rather than serving it raw and cold. The result is a pesto that is silkier and a little richer than the traditional version, with the pistachios giving it a natural sweetness and gorgeous pale green color.

A bowl of rigatoni pasta coated in green pesto sauce, topped with a light sprinkle of grated cheese, sits on a white marble surface.

A wooden board displays labeled ingredients: a bowl of rigatoni pasta, chopped pistachios, salt and pepper, olive oil, lemon, garlic, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and fresh basil leaves.

Ingredient Notes

Pistachios - shelled and unsalted; toasting them lightly beforehand deepens the flavor if you have a few extra minutes
Fresh basil - a full small pot or bunch of basil, leaves only
Garlic - start with 1 clove and add a second if you want a sharper bite
Lemon zest - brightens the whole sauce; zest before you juice, if using the lemon elsewhere
Extra virgin olive oil - start with the lower end of the range and add more as needed to help the sauce blend smoothly
Parmigiano Reggiano - freshly grated melts and blends far better than pre-grated
Butter - used to warm and finish the sauce in the skillet, giving it a silkier texture than a raw pesto
Pasta - any shape works; short pasta or long strands like spaghetti both hold this sauce well
Salt and pepper

How to Make Pistachio Basil Pesto Pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
While the pasta cooks, add the pistachios, basil, garlic, lemon zest, Parmigiano Reggiano, a splash of the pasta water, and the olive oil to a food processor. Pulse until you have a coarse, well-combined sauce, scraping down the sides as needed. It should be thick but pourable, not a smooth paste.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the pistachio basil sauce to the skillet and stir to warm it through, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add more of the reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, to loosen the sauce to a silky, coatable consistency.
Stir in more grated Parmigiano Reggiano to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss until every piece is coated in the sauce, adding a little more pasta water if it looks dry.
Serve immediately, topped with extra chopped pistachios and a final grating of Parmigiano Reggiano.

A black pan with creamy green sauce spread evenly inside, sitting on a white marble surface.

Recipe Tips

Pulse, do not puree. You want some texture from the pistachios, not a completely smooth paste. Short pulses in the food processor give you the best consistency.
Save more pasta water than you think you need. The sauce thickens quickly once it hits the warm skillet, and pasta water is the easiest way to bring it back to a silky, clingy texture.
Add cheese in two stages. Some goes into the food processor for flavor, more goes in at the skillet stage so you can adjust the richness to your taste.
Keep the heat low once the sauce is in the skillet. This is a quick warm-through, not a long simmer. High heat risks the cheese and butter separating.
Toast the pistachios first for extra flavor. A few minutes in a dry skillet before blending brings out a deeper, nuttier flavor if you have the time.

Storing

Refrigerate: Airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days. The basil will darken slightly but the flavor holds up well.
Freeze the sauce alone: Freeze the blended pesto (before adding to pasta) in a small airtight container up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

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A bowl and pan of rigatoni pasta coated in green pesto sauce, with a fork in the bowl and a serving spoon in the pan, on a light textured surface.

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Pistachio Basil Pesto Pasta

A bright, nutty pesto made with pistachios, fresh basil, lemon zest, and Parmigiano Reggiano, blended fresh and finished with butter and pasta water for a silky sauce. Ready in about 20 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time12

Total Time22

Servings:

Calories: 414kcal

Author: Lora

Ingredients

▢ ½ cup shelled unsalted pistachios plus extra for garnish
▢ 1 packed cup fresh basil leaves about 1 small pot of basil
▢ 2 garlic cloves
▢ Zest of 1 lemon
▢ 5 to 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
▢ 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano plus more to taste
▢ 2 tablespoons butter
▢ 5 ounces dry pasta
▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve at least 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
In a food processor, combine pistachios, basil, garlic, lemon zest, Parmigiano Reggiano, a splash of pasta water, and the olive oil. Pulse until coarsely combined.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the pistachio basil sauce to the skillet and warm through, 1 to 2 minutes.
Loosen with more reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, until silky.
Stir in more Parmigiano to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the drained pasta and toss to coat, adding more pasta water if needed.
Serve immediately with extra chopped pistachios and grated Parmigiano on top.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

Notes

Step-by-step images show cooking pasta and making pesto in a food processor with basil, pistachios, olive oil, garlic, and grated cheese. Ingredients are blended together to form a sauce.

A step-by-step collage showing green sauce preparation: blending ingredients, melting butter in a pan, adding and stirring the green mixture, and simmering until smooth and creamy. Each step is numbered from 7 to 12.

Three-panel collage: A hand adds cheese to green sauce in a pan (13), cooked rigatoni pasta is poured from a colander into the pan (14), and pasta coated in green sauce and cheese is shown up close (15).

Pulse the sauce, do not puree completely; some texture from the pistachios is the point.
Toast the pistachios in a dry skillet for a few minutes before blending for a deeper, nuttier flavor.
Reserve more pasta water than you think you need. It is what keeps the sauce silky rather than pasty.
Store: Airtight container in the fridge up to 2 days.

Nutrition

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Easy Pistachio Pesto Pasta (Pasta Al Pesto Pistacchio)