kosher salt<\/a> to taste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nLove pesto? <\/strong>Try our Best Recipes with Pesto!<\/p>\n <\/figure>\nVegan variation for pesto pasta!<\/h2>\n How to make this recipe vegan? If you eat a plant based diet, we\u2019ve got your back! Here\u2019s what to do to make this into a vegan pesto pasta: make our Easy Vegan Pesto instead! This recipe uses a secret ingredient that you might not expect to substitute for the Parmesan cheese. Head over to that recipe to see the tips to making seriously good plant-based pesto.<\/p>\n
More variations: use any type of noodle!<\/h2>\n You can use any type of pasta for this pesto pasta: because pesto goes with anything! Here are some of our favorite pasta noodles to try.<\/p>\n
\nBucatini: <\/strong>It\u2019s like a hollow spaghetti! It\u2019s our favorite long noodle<\/li>\nLinguine: <\/strong>Another nice long noodle to try, that\u2019s a little thicker<\/li>\nCavatappi: <\/strong>These corkscrew shaped noodles are perfect for trapping pesto sauce<\/li>\nPenne: <\/strong>Penne is always a winner!<\/li>\nGemelli:<\/strong> Another fun shape that\u2019s like twisted twin tubes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nTry pesto on cavatppi!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nHow to cook pasta to al dente<\/h2>\n When Alex and I visited Italy on our honeymoon, we tasted pasta that was truly al dente<\/em> for the first time. And it was mind blowing! This wasn\u2019t the limp, gooey stuff we were used to tasting in the US. The pasta was firm enough that you had to really bite through each piece: making it infinitely more satisfying. When we returned home, we knew we had to figure out how to do this for ourselves.<\/p>\nInterestingly, we\u2019ve found that many of the package directions on pasta call for cooking it much too long! To cook pasta to al dente, follow these tips:<\/p>\n
\nStart taste testing a few minutes before<\/strong> the package instructions indicate to. The pasta should be tender, but still firm on the inside so that it has a little bite.<\/li>\nSome chefs say that you should see a tiny bit of white<\/strong> on the inside of the pasta, others say it should have just disappeared. Either way, you\u2019ll want to catch it just in that moment.<\/li>\nStay vigilant<\/strong>: pasta can go from al dente to overcooked in minutes!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nPS If you\u2019re ever in the mood for a killer pasta sauce that\u2019s long simmered but mostly hands off: try our vodka sauce! It\u2019s creamy and full of amazing flavor.<\/p>\n
This pesto pasta recipe is\u2026<\/h2>\n Vegetarian. For vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free, follow the notes in the recipe. For gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.<\/p>\n