Home » Course » Main DishEasy Basil Pesto Pasta With Meatballs Pin RecipeRate RecipeJanuary 6, 2023 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 Easy basil pesto pasta with meatballs is a delicious and crowd pleasing meal the whole family enjoys. We love how easy this homemade pesto sauce comes together in only 10 minutes. This easy weeknight meal is very versatile and can be tossed with all 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. Without doubt, this easy recipe for the best fettuccine pesto will be a huge hit with your family. Notable: quick and easy meal bursting with fresh Mediterranean flavors, that tastes great with chicken, meatballs and shrimp Main Ingredients: fresh basil leaves, parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves, pasta noodles, cooked meatballs and spices Cooking Method: stovetop Nutrients: packed with antioxidants, healthy fats and calcium Cooking Time: 10 minutes prep time and 20 minutes cook time Pairs well with: fresh crunchy salad, garlic bread, Caprese salad, roasted vegetables Special Equipment Needed: large pot or saucepan, skillet, food processor, kitchen tongs Table of Contents Ingredients Recommended ToolsInstructionsMake Ahead Recipe Tips What To Serve With Homemade Pesto Pasta with MeatballsMore Pasta RecipesHow To StoreHow To ReheatCommon QuestionsEasy Basil Pesto Pasta with MeatballsMORE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE Ingredients You may have all of these ingredients for this pesto fettuccine recipe in your refrigerator or pantry and not need to make a trip to the grocery store! If this is your first time making this pesto pasta fettuccine recipe you might want to read the possible variations before deciding on your ingredients. Fettuccine With Pesto Ingredients 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed) ½ cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated) ½ cup extra virgin olive oil ⅓ cup toasted pine nuts 1 tbsp garlic (minced) ¼ tsp salt (or more to taste) ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste) 1 lb pasta noodles 25-30 cooked meatballs Optional Garnish chopped fresh basil and freshly gated parmesan cheese Variations and Substitutions Basil: Use fresh basil from a plant or freshly cut. Do not substitute dried basil. You can, however, substitute half or all of the basil for baby spinach, if you like. Parmesan: In case 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. Nuts: We love pesto with pine nuts, however, you can substitute walnuts to make tasty basil walnut pesto. It really depends on your personal preference. Use walnut pesto the same way you’d use any pesto. Pasta: As a matter of fact, there is no best pasta for pesto. Even though we used fettuccine for this recipe, you can use any pasta of your choice. Meatballs: You can use store-bought meatballs or make your own. Any style of meatball works great with fettuccine pesto. Have you tired our Air Fryer Meatballs, Turkey Meatballs, Chicken Meatballs or Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs? WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you loved this homemade pesto fettuccine recipe, try our Chicken Pesto Calzone. You’ll love them because they are crispy and golden brown on the outside and stuffed with melty cheese, juicy chicken and tasty pesto. Recommended Tools Links to our favorite tools are affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link we may get a tiny portion of the sale. Food Processor — We are using a food processor to make the pesto, but a blender would work well too. Instructions This section shows how to cook pesto pasta with meatballs on the stovetop, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full step-by-step instructions, photos and nutritional information see the recipe in the recipe card below. COOK PASTA: Firstly, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, add salt and cook pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is al dente, drain and set the hot pasta aside. Reserve starchy pasta water (¼ cup) if you want to add it to your pasta later with your pesto. HEAT MEATBALLS: Then 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: Afterwards, slowly add olive oil to food processor while pulsing. Keep adding a little olive oil at a time until you reach your desired consistency. TOSS WITH PASTA: In a warm skillet, heat the pesto a little bit. Then add drained pasta to your own pesto and toss. If needed, add ¼ cup of reserved pasta water to thin out the pesto. Afterwards, add the meatballs to the top of the fettuccine al pesto. ENJOY: Finally, sprinkle freshly grated parmesan over the basil pesto pasta with meatballs and enjoy. WHAT TO MAKE NEXT: If you love Italian inspired meatball dinners then you’ll love our Easy Baked Cheesy Meatball Sub Sandwich. This meatball stuffed sandwich bake is cheesy and full of flavor. Try pesto instead of marinara sauce for this perfect meal. Make Ahead Homemade pesto lasts for a about a week in the fridge. You can therefore prepare the sauce a couple of days ahead of time. Then store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Stef says…. I love using this easy and scrumptious pesto for my Pesto Pasta Salad. This beautiful, flavorful, and easy to make, pasta salad brings a little bit of the Mediterranean to your table! Andrea says…. I’m all about healthy eating right now and I’m pulling out my favorite healthy recipes that are full of bold flavor to keep me excited! This Pesto Chicken Wrap is super simple and such a quick and easy dish to make. Recipe Tips Follow these tips to make the best easy basil pesto pasta with meatballs. Tip: Make sure to use fresh and bright green basil for your pesto. Tip: Use high quality meatballs. Use your favorite frozen meatballs or make your own. Tip: Thin out the pesto with leftover pasta water to get perfectly creamy pesto pasta. What To Serve With Homemade Pesto Pasta with Meatballs We love to eat easy basil pesto pasta with meatballs all by themselves. But sometimes you need to serve it as a meal. Try one of these tasty recipes: Bread: Serve 10-minute pesto pasta with crusty bread or soft dinner rolls. Garlic French Bread is made with fresh parmesan cheese and store-bought French bread. If you have extra time make Pizza Dough Garlic Knots. Salad: Pair this best pesto pasta recipe with a fresh salad. A green salad like our amazing Italian Salad or Chopped Asparagus Salad. Or even a Caprese Salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil or Antipasto Salad. Side Dish: This fettuccine pesto main dish would taste great with Roasted Vegetables, Parmesan Roasted Broccoli or Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus. Easy Italian Salad Recipe With Homemade Salad Dressing Caprese Salad Garlic French Bread Air Fryer Roasted Vegetables More Pasta Recipes We are big fans of simple recipes for yummy weeknight pasta meals. They are quick, easy, comforting and oh so good. Here are some of our other favorite pasta dishes: Easy Dump And Bake Meatball Pasta Casserole Easy Lasagna The Best Italian Meatballs Baked Ravioli How To Store Refrigerate: Store homemade pesto pasta leftovers in an airtight container or ziploc bag for up to one week in the fridge. Freeze: Store leftovers in a freezer ziploc bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 months. Defrosting: Our favorite way to defrost fettuccine pesto leftovers is in the refrigerator overnight. How To Reheat You can reheat leftover basil pesto pasta with meatballs in the microwave the next day. Common Questions Can you add pasta water to your own pesto? In case you find your pesto is sticky, you can mix your pesto with ¼ cup of the pasta water before mixing with your noodles. In case you didn’t save any pasta water, add some regular water. What do you pair with homemade pesto sauce? Pesto pairs naturally with cooked pasta, as a sauce on pizza or sandwiches, as a dressing on a salad or as a dip for garlic bread, for example. Additionally you can use it as a substitute for marinara sauce in a lasagna. What flavors pair well with pesto? Any dishes with similar ingredients (parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, basil) work well with the fresh flavors of pesto. You can also pair it well with cheese like mozzarella, for example. Pesto pairs especially well with grilled chicken or meatballs. Additionally, you can try it as a salad dressing with fresh tomatoes or dip for bread as well. How can I use up easy pesto pasta leftovers? In case you can’t eat all this fettuccine pesto try making it into another easy dinner. Try adding leftovers to a baking dish and then cover with fresh mozzarella slices. Bake at 350°F until the cheese is melted and any meat in your pasta is heated through again. Moreover, you can make a cold pesto pasta salad from the leftovers. Firstly, remove any leftover meat from the creamy pesto pasta. Then add sliced black olives, chunks of mozzarella, sliced grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, diced bell peppers or any other vegetables you want to add. garlic, meatballs, parmesan Course, Cuisine, Diet, Ingredient, Italian Inspired, Main Dish, Method, Pasta, Stovetop, Turkey, Vegetarian 5 from 4 votes Easy Basil Pesto Pasta with Meatballs 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 Equipmentlarge potFood Processor or blenderlarge skillet Ingredients 1x2x3xPesto Ingredients▢ 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed▢ ½ cup parmesan freshly grated▢ ½ cup extra virgin olive oil▢ ⅓ cup pine nuts▢ 1 tablespoon garlic minced▢ ¼ teaspoon salt▢ ⅛ 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 The Best 7 Layer Dip Recipe January 20, 2023 7 Comments Learn the secret to the best 7 layer dip! This spicy bean dip is a… Read More Blackberry Dump Cake With Real Berries January 19, 2023 No Comments 5-10 minute prep to make this easy blackberry dump cake dessert recipe. You don’t even… Read More Chili Cheese Dip January 12, 2023 No Comments Perfect game day snack full of chili flavor and gooey cheese! Make it as mild… Read More Crack Corn Dip January 11, 2023 No Comments Learn how to make hot crack corn dip in the oven. This cheesy chip dip… Read More Crack Dip January 10, 2023 No Comments Learn how to make this scrumptious 5-minute crack dip, packed with cheddar cheese, bacon crumbles… Read More Mississippi Sin Dip January 9, 2023 No Comments Learn how to make this hot Mississippi sin dip in a bread bowl in the… Read More PinShareTweet
The Best 7 Layer Dip Recipe January 20, 2023 7 Comments Learn the secret to the best 7 layer dip! This spicy bean dip is a… Read More
Blackberry Dump Cake With Real Berries January 19, 2023 No Comments 5-10 minute prep to make this easy blackberry dump cake dessert recipe. You don’t even… Read More
Chili Cheese Dip January 12, 2023 No Comments Perfect game day snack full of chili flavor and gooey cheese! Make it as mild… Read More
Crack Corn Dip January 11, 2023 No Comments Learn how to make hot crack corn dip in the oven. This cheesy chip dip… Read More
Crack Dip January 10, 2023 No Comments Learn how to make this scrumptious 5-minute crack dip, packed with cheddar cheese, bacon crumbles… Read More
Mississippi Sin Dip January 9, 2023 No Comments Learn how to make this hot Mississippi sin dip in a bread bowl in the… Read More