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My pesto pasta bake recipe combines al dente pasta with herbaceous pesto and sweet green peas. It’s the kind of easy weeknight dinner my family craves!
If you love tasty weeknight pasta recipes, try my pastina, Gigi Hadid pasta, or seafood pasta next.
Table of Contents
Some nights, the last thing I want to do is spend hours in the kitchen. Shocking, I know.
That’s where pasta bakes come in handy. Not only are they foolproof, but they’re easy to customize with all sorts of mix-ins. This time around, I’m making my family’s favorite: pesto pasta!
Why I love this recipe
- A creative way to use leftover pasta. If I end up with extra pasta from last night’s dinner, my family knows we’re having pasta bakes tomorrow!
- An easy freezer meal. This recipe is easy to double up, and the leftovers freeze like a dream. I have a couple in my freezer right now!
- It’s quick. All you have to do is cook the pasta, then let it bake in the oven until bubbly warm. We’re talking 20 minutes flat.
- Convenient. Make this recipe in advance and reheat it, or whip it up if you only have 20 minutes to spare. It’s the ultimate dump-and-bake dinner.
Key ingredients
- Pasta. I used ziti pasta for this recipe, but you could use any pasta you want. Or better yet, use a combination of pastas for a mix of different textures. Use gluten-free pasta if needed.
- Pesto sauce. The key ingredient of this baked pasta dish. I prefer using traditional basil pesto sauce, but any pesto works.
- Cheese. Use grated parmesan cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese for a rich, cheesy flavor.
- Green peas. For extra flavor and a tiny fiber boost.
How to make pesto pasta bake
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Prep. Preheat the oven and grease a casserole dish.
Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta according to package instructions, drain it, and stir in the pesto and peas.
Assemble. Transfer the pot of pesto pasta into a baking dish.
Bake. Top the pasta with cheese and bake until the cheese melts. Let it sit briefly before serving.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Cook the pasta to al dente. So the pasta keeps its subtle bite. Besides, it’ll continue to cook a tiny bit as it bakes in the oven.
- Swap the pesto. Try my sundried tomato pesto instead.
- Taste as you go, and add salt or black pepper as needed.
- Garnish the pasta with fresh basil and pine nuts for a nice finishing touch.
Variations
- Switch up the veggies. Add chopped broccoli, asparagus, green beans, spinach, or sautéed mushrooms.
- Bulk it up with protein. Add cooked chicken breast, shrimp, or Italian sausage.
- Add cream. Fold in a splash of heavy cream for a creamy pesto pasta bake.
Frequently asked questions
I prefer adding pesto to warm pasta as it coats the pasta better when it’s warm, though you may notice the color of the pesto changes slightly if it’s added to warm pasta.
4-Ingredient Pesto Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti pasta uncooked
- 1 cup basil pesto
- 1 cup peas
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease a large baking dish.
- Cook the pasta as instructed. Once cooked, drain and add back into the pan. Stir through the pesto, then the green peas.
- Transfer the pasta to the baking dish and top with the shredded cheese.
- Bake the pasta for 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is bubbling.
- Remove the pasta from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes, before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
More vegetarian dinner options
- Boursin cheese pasta
- Eggplant rollatini
- Chili relleno casserole
- Eggplant meatballs
- Or any of these vegetarian mains
Oh child you are putting together some of my favorite things: veggies, pasta, pesto and cheese. I could take this without the peas, but my Hubby would face plant into this bake as is. He is a man who likes his peas.
Pesto with everything.
Peas with nothing.
Please do me a favour and make the hubs a meal featuring a side of mashed potatoes and peas. If he mixes them together….I may come to america to visit him instead 😉
I LOVE pesto. Pesto with pasta, pizza, tomatoes, anything! 🙂
How about pesto on your sourdough bread?!
Looking forward to reading this week’s Spill It!
The pasta recipe sounds marvelous.
Peas and carrots (that was always a side at school. Totally gross. They did not taste like peas and carrots at all.)
Pasta and alfredo sauce is the best!
ALFREDO CRAVING. Well that and carbonara.
Thanks Madison- peas and carrots were childhood hates when they tasted like nothing. Except when doused with gravy!
Pasta, pesto, cheese….looks yummy!
Lately I’ve been loving ricotta in my pasta dishes.
Ricotta would be awesome- my mum makes the best ricotta lasagna- so creamy!
OOO I am so tuning in for Sunday’s SPILL IT 😉 I shall SPILL IT ALL in my comment!! ha ha ha ah! You know me, the Protein Queen!
PS: I loved the selfie from you today!!!!!!!
Hahaha I’ll keep them coming! You are indeed the meat queen. Salmon on the side.
Mmm yes to pasta + pesto + cheese! Love it!
Pesto is definitely one of my favourite pasta mix ins, but chicken sausage is also amazing.
And I don’t really like peas. 😛
Dude, I had a look for decent chicken sausage here in australia…get this. The best of the bunch only had like 65% chicken in it. FAIL.
Ps. Remember that time I went all crazy & ranty on Sam’s blog
That was the best thing ever. I would love to have seen Sam’s reaction
This isn’t tandoori.
unless it’s tandoori, my brain doesn’t register this as a “recipe”.
TRY HARDER TO PLEASE ME
How about Tandoori covered Lex?
Hm…..let me do some thinking, I might have something in the works.
PS totally ordered a random piece of chicken tikka from a fast food foodcourt because I was still hungry after lunch.
i love adding peas to pasta!!
So good- and makes it visually aesthetic too. Bonus.
i want to face plant this now! I can’t wait for st. paddy’s day. #wholeCotter approved… add corn and it’d be #CORNYCOTTER approved. bahahaha
My mum totally made it corny cotter way when I was growing up- peas, corn, tuna, cream and pasta. #wholeMum.
I love you for this. I know it sounds weird, but frozen peas are seriously one of my favorite foods 😉
FROZEN peas? Really! I’ll need to venture out and try that. I’ve had frozen peas….on my black eye before 😉
Mmmm…seeing as I’m at work at the moment and don’t have access to my kitchen, perhaps you can send this over to me for lunch!?! 😉 Ha! It looks amazing, Arman! Pesto makes anything taste so, so good! I can’t wait to make it!
Thanks, Holly- you can even make it with spaghetti squash if you like that!
Unfortunately, I might go to jail if trying to send it!
Cheese seems to take food porn to an X-rated level always!
I am not a hooge fan of pasta – but my daughter loves that stuff – her fav mix in is – you guessed it – CHEESE!
You’re daughter is one smart (dairy heavy) cookie! 😉
I loveeeee peas & pasta. Pasta carbonara = love.Pesto + anything. Peas + anything. You know what’s creepy… on a can of peas in the US it says “not a low calorie food”. Like peas are a vegetable/legume how can you try and trick people into thinking they aren’t healthy?
Dude you have craving carbonara now…extra bacon. extra cheese. extra cream.
…..Are you serious? They actually have that tagline on food products?!
Hahahahaha I love that you just compared peas to ugly diamonds. That is the best part of this entire post 😉
Fail. The recipe is the best part of the post :p
Guess who’s eaten potatoes 3 times a day for 4 days in a row…3 to go!