Flavor-packed lemon basil pesto spaghetti is topped with juicy bursting tomatoes for the BEST summer pasta side that’s perfect alongside grilled chicken or fish!
Summer eats 101 are in session guys today –>
All you need to know about that is that there’s pesto + bursting tomatoes, and lots of pasta involved. THIS is how you do those summah’ eats!
Get ready to live in a permanent state of summer with this lemon basil pesto spaghetti!
More importantly, get ready to crave approximately like 580 pasta forkfuls of this flavor packed spaghetti on repeat.
I couldn’t even dream of a better use for all that summer basil!
This Lemon Basil Pesto Spaghetti features…
- Juicy, olive oil-roasted bursting cherry tomatoes
- A bright, flavorful homemade lemon basil pesto sauce
- Lots of hot spaghetti noodles
- Piles of fresh Parmesan cheese
Making the Pesto Spaghetti
(scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe!)
Lemon Basil Pesto
To make the pesto, combine the juice from 1 lemon, a full cup of fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, and fresh garlic in a food processor.
Pulse the food processor while drizzling olive oil through top. Scrape down the sides as necessary until your pesto is smooth.
Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste and it’s done!
If you don’t want to use it right away, the pesto can be stored in the fridge up to 6 days or frozen up to 1 month.
Bursting Tomatoes
Place whole cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil + s&p to taste, and broil under high heat 2-3 minutes until tomatoes are bursting.
Toss the cherry tomatoes and pesto into hot spaghetti and drizzle with a little pasta cooking water. Top the spaghetti off with freshly grated Parmesan and it’s ready!
Storing the Spaghetti
This spaghetti can be easily meal prepped ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 6 days for a make-ahead option!
Leftovers reheat wonderfully for a work lunch, as well as a fast main dish for dinner.
Seriously. You haven’t had even one legit summer day until you’ve made this spaghetti, guys.
It’s got literally ALL the flavors of summer packed into it! The fresh basil and lemon, the juicy cherry tomatoes, the rich Parmesan cheese. It’s just so good.
We love this spaghetti alongside grilled chicken or fish but it’s MORE than worthy to stand alone as a lighter, vegetarian dinner or lunch!
MORE summer pesto favorites you should definitely try next!
- Ricotta Basil Pesto Cherry Tomato Galette
- Roasted Red Pepper Pesto Goat Cheese Bruschetta
- Skillet Basil Pesto Sausage Caprese Quiche
Lemon Basil Pesto Spaghetti with Bursting Tomatoes
Ingredients
Lemon Basil Pesto
- Juice from 1 medium lemon
- 1 cup loosely-packed basil leaves
- 1/3 cup pine nuts (or sliced almonds)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Spaghetti and Bursting Tomatoes
- 1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 oz spaghetti, cooked according to package instructions and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water reserved
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
Lemon Basil Pesto
- In a food processor, process lemon juice, basil, pine nuts, and garlic while drizzling olive oil through top until pesto is completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Spaghetti and Bursting Tomatoes
- Toss cherry tomatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Lay in a single layer on a baking sheet and broil under high heat 2-3 minutes or until slightly charred and bursting.
- Toss hot spaghetti with pesto until combined and then toss in reserved pasta cooking water. Season spaghetti with salt and pepper to taste and top with bursting tomatoes and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot and enjoy!
Lynn S. says
This was so easy to prepare and delicious. The lemon in the pesto added a great flavor. This will become part of my permanent collection.
Leslie says
OMG, made this today….fresh pesto….pasta….awesome!
Sarah says
So glad you enjoyed, Leslie! <3