Fusilli Pasta with Pesto Sauce for Dinner in 20 minutes

Fusilli pasta with pesto sauce is a super fancy and mouthful vegetarian pasta recipe that is super quick and easy. I made this recipe with perfectly boiled fusilli pasta and homemade basil pesto sauce. Here, I made another variation by adding chicken and making it a wholesome meal to enjoy with your loved ones! You are just 20 minutes away from this scrumptious pasta dish! Fusilli pesto pasta is budget-friendly, versatile and you can make it however you need and like.

Today, I’m excited to share Fusilli pasta with pesto sauce and chicken—this is a genuinely tempting pesto pasta dish that you’ll fall in love with at first bite! The great thing about this comfort food is that once you make pesto sauce with fresh basil leaves and keep a jar of pesto to hand, you can easily add it to anything and instantly create a delicious and comforting meal.

Specialty About Fusilli pasta with pesto sauce

• Versatile recipe: This pesto dish is a great lighter alternative to heavy pasta recipes for vegetarians. Because of its versatility, you can add a protein element and love it even more! 
• Quick and Simple: This recipe uses simple ingredients and requires little time to make a straightforward dinner. When you want something flavorful and fuss-free, this is a perfect choice for busy evenings.
• Perfect in Taste & Texture: The spiral shape of fusilli has grooves that help hold onto the sauce and cling to the thick, creamy pesto sauce, ensuring each bite is full of serious yum!
• Budget-Friendly: This recipe keeps costs down and allows us to have dinner on the table without breaking the bank. The most expensive ingredients are likely to be Parmesan cheese and pine nuts, but you can successfully substitute cashews or other nuts.
• Customizable: You can tweak this dish according to your taste. Want it gluten-free? Use gluten-free pasta. Prefer a different nut? Cashews or walnuts work just as well without any sacrifice on taste.

What is Fusilli pasta with Pesto sauce and Chicken?

Fusilli with pesto sauce and chicken is a simple, flavorful pasta dish in which spiral-shaped pasta and tender cooked chicken are tossed in homemade aromatic basil pesto and finished with a sprinkle of melted cheese!

The popular twisty corkscrew-shaped fusilli pasta is perfect for holding onto the pesto sauce in a twist. Kids and adults alike like the fun shape of the fusilli.

I’ve always made chicken pesto pasta with fusilli, and every time, tons of pesto that should’ve ended up in my mouth ended up on the side of the bowl. And I’m sure everyone is going to love this pesto version just as much as my red lentil pasta, which also uses fusilli!

Ingredients for Fusilli Pasta with Pesto Sauce

For this recipe, you will need:

• Fusilli Pasta:  I love this pasta because its corkscrew shape makes it soak up the sauce beautifully. If you can’t find fusilli, rotini is an excellent alternative. It has a tighter, round, twirly, spun-weave appearance than fusilli but looks very similar.
• Basil Pesto: The heart and primary ingredient for the recipe of the basil pesto. Fresh leaves add a herby freshness to the recipe. The homemade basil pesto turned out excellently.
• Pistachio Nuts: Nuts are required for making homemade basil pesto, and traditionally, pine nuts are used. However, since pine nuts are a little tricky to get, I successfully substituted them with pistachio nuts; they add a deliciously nutty and slightly sweet flavor with an extra boost of protein to the dish.
• Parmesan Cheese: Combining pesto and Parmesan cheese could indeed work! Both are quite flavorful and rich, and their contrasting tastes complement each other well. Parmesan cheese brings a tangy creaminess that can balance the aromatic, nutty, and herbaceous flavors of the basil.
• Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic is the must-add ingredient for a rich and aromatic kick to the pesto sauce. Pesto Pasta with olive oil and garlic is a standard in Italian cuisine. When garlic is added to olive oil and then to pesto, the magic goes to the next level.
• Olive Oil: Basil pesto pasta demands a generous amount of olive oil. It helps combine the pesto into a smooth, slick paste. I recommend using good-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best taste.
• Chicken: Chicken is a great addition to make your fusilli with pesto a wholesome meal. It adds a protein element, and you will love it even more. Chicken breasts or chicken thighs are recommended, but you can use whatever you like.

Making Homemade Basil Pesto

Ingredients with quantity:

• Start by chopping the garlic cloves, and basil leaves in your food processor until all the leaves are finely chopped.
• Now add the toasted pistachios or the nuts you are using. Process them until crushed into tiny pieces.
• Next, start pouring the olive oil while keeping the processor on. Stop in between and give a stir using a spatula.
• Keep process until all the oil is mixed. You may add or decrease the quantity of olive oil according to your preference.
• Season with salt and pepper, and process one final time to ensure a good blend of ingredients. Your basil pesto is ready to use.
• Transfer the basil pesto to an airtight container and keep it in reserve for up to 7 days in the refrigerator and a month in the freezer.

Homemade Italian Basil Pesto

Storage tip for Basil Pesto Sauce

I found an excellent way to freeze basil pesto. Take a Ziplock bag (preferably a freezer one) and pour a batch of pesto into it. Then, flatten the bag out into a pancake and freeze it. When you want pesto, you just break off a chunk and heat it. This is the best darn way I’ve found to freeze it, as it’s just so easy to warm up exactly how much you want.

Making Fusilli Pasta with Pesto Sauce and Chicken?

Ingredients with quantity:

Step-by-Step Instructions

Cook the Fusilli:

Cook fusilli pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package instructions. While draining the pasta, be sure to reserve about a cup of pasta water before draining. The starch in the pasta water helps bind the pesto sauce.

Preparing Chicken:

Cut the chicken into little bite-sized pieces. I like to use chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breasts, as per your preference. Remember that chicken breasts cook quicker than thighs, and avoid overcooking; it may turn them hard.

Sauté Garlic

Now, bring a large skillet over medium to low heat and add half of the olive oil. Once the oil is warm, add chopped garlic and sauté for a minute.

Mixing Pesto and Pasta

Add pesto sauce and pasta to the skillet and stir. You can add a little reserved pasta water to ease the mixing of pesto and pasta. The pasta will soak up all the water, and your fusilli won’t be watery.

Incorporating Chicken

Once the fusilli pasta and pesto sauce are mixed, add the cooked chicken and mix well using a spatula. You can adjust the amount of basil pesto according to your preference.

Seasoning and Topping

Before seasoning, keep in mind that pesto is already seasoned with salt.  You can increase the seasoning and add salt if needed. Now, add the grated cheese of your choice. I recommend using generously with extra grated Parmesan cheese, which is our all-time favorite. Cover the skillet for a couple of minutes in order to melt the cheese, and give a final light stir to mix the melted cheese evenly.

Serving

Once everything is well combined and heated through, your fusilli pasta with pesto sauce and chicken is ready to serve! Garnish generously with grated Parmesan, a sprinkle of freshly cracked black pepper, with some extra pesto and chili flakes on the side to add an extra kick! Don’t forget to garnish with a few basil leaves for a pop of color.

What side dishes go well with Fusilli pasta with pesto sauce?

• Tomatoes and basil go so well together, and you can use them for a side dish. Roast cherry tomatoes under the broiler, toss with olive oil and with some herbs, and serve with mozzarella for a roasted caprese salad or just with crostini.
• Bread is always a good choice and goes well with pesto pasta, but I try to avoid adding too many more carbs because pasta is already enough if you’re serving it as the main course. Moreover, I also avoid a lettuce-based salad; I feel like it would compete against the herby freshness of the pesto.
• This might sound weird, but I actually like pesto as a sandwich topping, especially pesto with pasta. So, if you’re down with a sandwich, it is recommended.
• Try pairing fusilli pasta and pesto sauce with roasted lamb ribs, BBQ pork ribs, or a simple arugula salad with lemon and olive oil for a fresh contrast, which is a heartier meal so far!

 Substitutions and Variations

• Nut Alternatives: If you prefer a different nut, cashews, pine nuts, or walnuts work equally well in pesto without compromising taste. You can use the same amount of pistachios as mentioned in the recipe.
• Gluten-Free Option: You can use your favorite gluten-free pasta that fits your diet and lifestyle. A variety of excellent gluten-free pasta shapes are readily available at most grocery stores.
• Vegetarian Additions: Cheese tortellini in pesto is my favorite, hot or cold. You can add little chopped red peppers, olives, or sun-dried tomatoes.
• Meat Lovers: Want extra protein, or are you craving meat in pesto pasta? Try adding crispy bacon bits or grilled chicken slices to the fusilli pasta with pesto sauce for a meaty kick.

Storage and Leftovers Tips

• Make only the amount of pasta you’ll eat at one time. You’ll have extra sauce, which is excellent! The next night, you just cook more pasta.
• When you drain your pasta after cooking it, save 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Mix the pasta water in just before you put your leftovers in the fridge.
• Store cooked pasta and sauce separately. I like to keep the leftover sauce and pasta separate in airtight jars and combine as much as I have to eat next time.
• To reheat in the microwave, cover leftover pasta with a lid or some heat-proof plastic wrap. Heat for 30 seconds, then stir, and continue until hot.
• Every year at the end of summer is the perfect time to visit your local farmers market for basil. I make a big batch of pesto sauce, freeze it in ice cube trays, and enjoy it all winter.

Recipe Notes

I want to share my top tips and tricks for fusilli pasta with pesto sauce with you. Here they are!

• Keep some of the pasta water for a saucy texture. Mix the pesto into the pasta until it’s nicely coated, then add pasta water as needed. 
• Big batches of pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays. A certain number of cubes may be the right amount for your serving size.
• Toasted and roughly chopped pistachios and pine nuts make great garnishes. They also add a little crunchy texture to the fusilli pasta.
• To maintain the color of pesto sauce, add a thin coating of olive oil to protect it from the air while you store it. 
• Always consider pesto a “raw” sauce. Cooking pesto dramatically reduces its freshness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

This fusilli pasta with pesto sauce recipe is quick, delicious, and customizable to fit your tastes and lifestyle. Whether you’re looking for a simple weeknight meal or a dish to impress guests, pesto pasta is always a winner. With just a handful of ingredients, you can make a vibrant, satisfying dish without spending hours in the kitchen. Enjoy!