Home » Course » Main DishFettuccine Pesto Pin RecipeRate RecipeAugust 21, 2022 This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our full Disclosure Policy for details. Delicious pesto fettuccine pasta with meatballs makes a healthy and delicious meal for the whole family. Jump to Recipe Fettuccine pesto pasta is a crowd pleasing meal. We love how easy this homemade pesto sauce is to make. Make it and toss with your favorite noodles and meat. We used spinach and turkey meatballs to make this a healthy skillet meal but you can use Italian meatballs, chicken or shrimp if you prefer. Table of Contents FETTUCCINI PESTO INGREDIENTSPOSSIBLE VARIATIONSSERVING SUGGESTIONSSUBSTITUTIONSINSTRUCTIONSSTORAGE TIPSRELATED RECIPESFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSWAYS TO USE LEFTOVERSPesto FettuccineMORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE FETTUCCINI PESTO INGREDIENTS You may have all of these in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store! See recipe card below for ingredient amounts. Fresh Basil: Use fresh basil from a plant or freshly cut. Do not substitute dried basil.Freshly Grated Parmesan: If you’re in a pinch, you can use grated parmesan from your refrigerated deli section. We don’t recommend using the grated parmesan you find on the shelves in the center aisles of your grocery store.Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil works best in this pesto recipe. See substitution ideas below. Pine Nuts: We love pesto with pine nuts. We don’t recommend omitting them. See substitution ideas below.Garlic: You can use fresh garlic or the minced garlic that comes in a jar.Salt and Pepper: Taste the pesto and add more if you prefer. Pasta Noodles: If you don’t have fresh noodles, dried fettuccine noodles or your favorite pasta noodles work great.Meatballs: Make your own meatballs or buy them in the freezer section of your grocery store. POSSIBLE VARIATIONS If you love pesto, consider making one of these variations. There are so many ways to eat make delicious meals with this savory sauce. PESTO PIZZAUse the pesto as a sauce on your favorite store bought pizza crust or make your own pizza crust with our favorite thick crust pizza dough recipe. PESTO LASAGNASubstitute this basil pesto for the marinara sauce in our easy lasagna recipe. SERVING SUGGESTIONS Enjoy this great recipe as a great addition to a full meal with these other recipes: Roasted Broccoli – Roasted broccoli goes with everything but it goes especially well with this skillet pasta dish.Garlic Knots – Make delicious garlic knots with store bought pizza dough.Red Wine Sangria – Try this delicious sangria with your meal. Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes – These molten cupcakes go with everything! SUBSTITUTIONS If you’ve made this recipe before and want to switch it up a little, here are some ideas you might want to try. SUBSTITUTE SPINACH Instead of 2 cups of fresh basil, use 1 cup of basil and 1 cup of spinach. You can even substitute all spinach, if you prefer. USE AVOCADO OILWe love cooking with avocado oil. You can substitute avocado oil for the extra virgin olive oil in the pesto. USE WALNUTSSubstitute walnuts for the pine nuts in the pesto recipe. This walnut pesto is really tasty. Use it the same way you’d use any pesto. INSTRUCTIONS If you’d like to print this recipe, scroll down to the recipe card where you can print the recipe or have it scaled to double or triple. You’ll also find the ingredients amounts and nutrition information. TOOLS AND SUPPLIES NEEDED: Stock pot or large saucepan for cooking noodlesFood processor or blender for pestoLarge skillet for mixing pasta, pesto and meatballs COOK PASTA: Following pasta package instructions, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stove and cook pasta noodles. When cooked, drain and set aside. Reserve pasta water (1/4 cup) if you want to add it to your pasta when you toss with pesto. HEAT MEATBALLS: Heat meatballs if they’ve been refrigerated or frozen. BLEND DRY INGREDIENTS: In a food processor, blend basil, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper. ADD OIL: Slowly add olive oil to food processor while pulsing. KITCHEN TIPIf your pesto is thick, add a little more olive oil until it is the desired consistency. KITCHEN TIPHeat the pesto in the warm skillet a little and it will coat your pasta easily. Add 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water if you need to thin out your pesto a little. TOSS PASTA: In a warm skillet, toss bed of fettuccine with pesto. Stir gently. Add meatballs to the top of pasta. ENJOY: Sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan and enjoy. KITCHEN TIPSave leftover pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week. STORAGE TIPS Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to one week in the refrigerator. Freeze: Store in a freezer ziploc bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 months. Defrosting: Defrost in the refrigerator. Use within one week. RELATED RECIPES Italian Sausage Meatballs Recipe Delicious classic recipe for large Italian meatballs. They pair well with spaghetti, pizza or meatball sub sandwiches. See Recipe Best Marinara Sauce Learn how to make spaghetti sauce. This is the best marinara sauce with red wine whether you call it pasta sauce or marinara sauce. See Recipe FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Click the plus below to reveal the answer to the question. Can you add pasta water to pesto?If you find your pesto is sticky you can mix your pesto with 1/4 cup of the pasta water before mixing with your pasta noodles. What do you pair with pesto?Pesto pairs naturally with pasta, as a sauce on pizza or sandwiches, as a dressing on a salad or as a dip for garlic bread. What flavors pair well with pesto?Any dishes with similar ingredients (parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, basil) work well with pesto. You can also pair it well with cheese like mozzarella. Pesto pairs especially well with chicken or meatballs. Try it with fresh tomatoes or bread as well. WAYS TO USE LEFTOVERS If you can’t eat all this fettuccine pesto try making it into one of these recipes. PASTA BAKE: Add leftovers to a baking dish and cover with fresh mozzarella slices. Bake at 350°F until the cheese is melted and any meat in your pasta is cooked through. COLD PASTA SALAD: Remove any leftover meat and add sliced black olives, chunks of mozzarella, sliced grape tomatoes, diced bell peppers or any other vegetables you want to add. 5 from 4 votes Pesto Fettuccine Course dinner Cuisine American, Italian Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Total Time 30 minutes Print Pin Rate 8 people Delicious pesto fettuccine pasta with meatballs makes a healthy and delicious meal for the whole family. Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark Ingredients 1x2x3xPesto Ingredients▢ 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed▢ 1/2 cup parmesan freshly grated▢ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil▢ 1/3 cup pine nuts▢ 1 tablespoon garlic minced▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt▢ 1/8 teaspoon pepper freshly groundPasta Ingredients▢ 1 pound fettuccine pasta noodles▢ 30 meatballs cooked InstructionsBring water to a boil in a stock pot or large saucepan. Follow pasta package instructions to cook noodles. When cooked, drain and set aside.Heat meatballs if they've been refrigerated or frozen.In a food processor, blend basil, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly add olive oil to the food processor while pulsing. In a warm skillet, toss pasta with pesto. Add meatballs on top of the pasta. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Notes Optional: Substitute half the basil for spinach. Optional: Substitute walnuts for pine nuts. If your pesto is very thick, you can add a little more olive oil. Use your favorite kind of meatball. We used turkey meatballs in this recipe. NutritionServing: 1g | Calories: 540kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 351mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 406IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 2mg Did you create this? Share it on Instagram and follow us on Pinterest for more cleverly simply recipes. Email Recipe Pin Recipe Share Recipe MORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE Easy Dump And Bake Meatball Pasta Casserole September 23, 2022 No Comments Easy dump and bake meatball casserole recipe made with frozen meatballs. Mix the ingredients in… Read More Pulled Pork Sliders (Instant Pot, Slow Cooker or Oven Roasted) September 22, 2022 No Comments Learn how to make these incredibly tasty BBQ pulled pork sliders. 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