This leek and pesto pasta takes just 10 minutes to prepare and tastes delicious! Al dente tagliatelle is served with chestnut mushrooms and leek in a crème fraîche and green pesto sauce.
It's so easy to make this tasty, vegetarian pasta dish.
First, you'll sweat sliced leeks and chestnuts mushrooms in a little olive oil. Once they're soft and delicious, you'll stir in cooked pasta, pesto and crème fraîche and boom, you're ready to serve!
Below you'll find the full recipe for this yummy pasta with creamy pesto sauce. I've included all the measurements and directions, plus plenty of step-by-step pics to help you get everything spot on, first time.
This recipe feeds four, so it's the perfect option for a quick mid-week family meal.
Ingredients
- 300 g (11 oz) dried tagliatelle
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 225 g (8 oz) chestnut mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 leeks thinly sliced
- 225 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) crème fraîche
- 150 g (⅔ cup) basil pesto
- fresh basil leaves optional - to serve
- pinch chilli flakes optional - to serve
Instructions
Put the tagliatelle on to cook in a large pan of salted boiling water. Aim to cook for a minute of two less that the packet instructions to ensure it's al dente (still has some bite).
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the leeks.
Sweat for a couple of minutes until softening.
Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt.
Continue to cook gently for another 3-5 minutes, until the leeks are sweet and soft.
Drain the cooked pasta when ready, reserving a few spoonfuls of the cooking water.
Add the drained pasta, crème fraîche, pesto and a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the pan with the mushrooms and leek.
Stir together, adding more of the pasta water, if needed to loosen.
Serve immediately.
It's wonderful on its own, or scattered basil, parsley, Parmesan or chilli flakes.
Are you tempted to try this lovely leek and pesto pasta pasta with it's creamy, flavourful sauce?
Print this leek and pesto pasta recipe
Leek and Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g (11 oz) dried tagliatelle
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 225 g (8 oz) chestnut mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2 leeks thinly sliced
- 225 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) crème fraîche
- 150 g (⅔ cup) basil pesto
- fresh basil leaves optional - to serve
- pinch chilli flakes optional - to serve
Instructions
- Put the tagliatelle on to cook in a large pan of salted boiling water. Aim to cook for a minute of two less that the packet instructions to ensure it's al dente (still has some bite).
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
- Add the leeks and sweat for a couple of minutes until softening.
- Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Continue to cook gently for another 3-5 minutes, until the leeks are sweet and soft.
- Drain the cooked pasta when ready, reserving a few spoonfuls of the cooking water.
- Add the drained pasta, crème fraîche, pesto and a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the pan with the mushrooms and leek.
- Stir together, adding more of the pasta water, if needed to loosen.
- Serve immediately. It's wonderful on its own, or scattered basil, parsley, Parmesan or chilli flakes.
Video
Nutrition
Recipe reproduced with permission and adapted slightly from Sacla's Big Book of Pesto.
If you enjoyed this recipe then you'll likely also enjoy my delicious Penne with butternut squash and goat cheese recipe and even my simple summer spaghetti with garlic and lemon.
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More recipes with pesto to try
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Midlife Singlemum says
Mmmmmm I want this dish NOW!
Julie's Family Kitchen says
This is my sort of recipe, I love pasta and eat lots of it. I'll definitely give this recipe a go. The picture looks enticing.
Mrs Domestic Bliss says
Hi Emily, I just wanted to stop by and thank you for pinning my recipe the other week. I can't remember when it was; for some fool reason I decided that I absolutely must decorate the hallway and bathroom before Christmas and I've been snowed under doing that as well as cooking, gift wrapping, card writing etc for Christmas. I think my husband is considering having me sectioned and, you know what, I genuinely don't think I could put up an argument against it!
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you as I've had so many referrals through it. You're like a blogging guru!
Emily Leary says
Aw thank you for your lovely comment. It was your great mincemeat recipe, I think. Glad to have found your blog :)
Andrea Mynard says
Looks utterly delicious! I have little bags of parsley pesto in the freezer (I know I sound like a very W.I. country Mum but I did have a parsley glut and pesto is such a fab way of getting my 6 year old daughter to scoff lots of greens) that would be great in this. Love roasted chestnut mushrooms with garlic with pasta pesto but the creaminess of this definitely appeals.
Abby Boid says
Ooooh. I love pesto . This could be the cook book that makes my Christmas list.
76 sunflowers says
Looks lovely. A perfect go to at the end of a busy day :)