Cooling Mint Basil Pesto Pasta
A refreshing pasta dish with a zesty pesto made from fresh basil, mint, and a touch of lemon, perfect for a light summer meal. This Italian-inspired pasta recipe, ready in about 25 minutes, blends pasta, basil, mint into a versatile sauce that lifts everything from grain bowls and roasted vegetables to grilled proteins — a small-batch staple worth keeping in the fridge. Each serving lands at about 450 calories and feeds 4, so a small batch covers several meals across the week without taking over the fridge. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.
Ingredients
- 200g, fusilli or penne pasta
- 1 cup, fresh, packed basil
- 1/4 cup, fresh, packed mint
- 2 cloves, minced garlic
- 1 medium, zested and juiced lemon
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup, grated parmesan
- 1/2 tsp salt
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Equipment for this recipe
Tools this recipe's steps call for, with a link to each on Amazon.
Instructions
- Step 1: Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package instructions, then drain and reserve 1/4 cup pasta water.
- Step 2: In a food processor, combine basil, mint, garlic, lemon zest, and salt. Pulse until coarsely chopped.
- Step 3: With the motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil until pesto reaches a creamy consistency. Add parmesan and mix well.
- Step 4: Toss pasta with pesto until evenly coated. Add pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
