Basil-Butter Pasta
Updated Oct. 11, 2023
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- Salt
- 3cups packed basil leaves (about 80 grams, from 2 large bunches)
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced, at room temperature
- 1pound of any pasta, any type
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
578 calories; 19 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 85 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 15 grams protein; 355 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Place the basil in a heatproof colander. Once the water is boiling, submerge the colander with the basil into the pot and use a spoon to push the leaves into the water. Blanch for 10 seconds, then immediately rinse the leaves under cold water to stop the cooking. Squeeze them dry with your hands. Reserve the boiling water.
- Step 2
Transfer the basil to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the butter and process, scraping the sides of the food processor as needed, until very smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Basil butter will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for several months.)
- Step 3
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to the pot, then add the basil butter and toss to coat. (Doesn’t it smell incredible?) If the pasta is dry instead of silky and glossy, add more pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Scott_B
Delicious! Cooked as directed the first time around. Next time, I would try adding a clove or two or garlic and some lemon zest to the basil butter mixture
Anna V.
This dish is very similar to the pates au pistou served almost everywhere on the French Mediterranean coast. I make it often in summer with minor changes. While the pasta drains in a sieve, I melt butter mixed with a bit of olive oil in the pot, then toss the pasta in the mix. When serving, top pasta with shredded fresh basil and top with freshly grated parmesan or parmesano-reggiano cheese. My husband adds some black pepper as well.
Antonia
I made extra basil butter. Put onto a cooked steak right from the grill.
Harry B.
I read the recipe and was thinking about it. Basil, food processor, butter? Will this work? And the more I thought about it, the better it got in my mind. Looks like a perfect base for lots of variations.
katherine
This was great. Very quick even for me. I am a slow cook. Not anywhere near 40 minutes. Could have added lots of things to it but it was fantastic as is
Scott_B
Delicious! Next time I would try adding a clove or two of garlic and some lemon zest to the basil butter mixture
Dave
I’m thinking this could also be a great preparation for zucchini “noodles”.
jeff
In season, i.e. right now, basil needs nothing more than this recipe specifies. Get it right - barely blanch the basil, pasta just the doneness you like, butter at room temp. Delicious, simple recipe.
AA
This is very good and VERY easy to make. A great meal to make with a young, budding cook. My advice after making this once: use salted butter. If it needs additional salt after that, use garlic salt.
Christy
Sounds like you need to add salt.
Staci D.
Freeze the extra basil butter in sheets between wax paper inside a ziplock, then break off as needed. Works for other herb butters and pesto, too.
Artkoea
The pasta is so good! Some tips to make it perfect (that i learned as an italian): 1.If you can, chop the basil by hand rocking the knife. It prevents it from heating up in the food processor and prevents bitterness. You can look up a video its very easy. I then chop the butter in and wrap it into food wrap and put in fridge. The mortar is the best of course (the metal reacts with the basil) but it takes SO LONG! 2. Use asap 3. Use salted butter and salt the water well. Makes a delicious pasta!
Jo
This was great! Does not take 40 mins; I used tagliatelle which cooks in 6 mins, and did the whole thing in 15 mins, basically in the time it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta. It does need to be seasoned properly, so make sure your pasta water is properly salted; a scrunch or two of the salt grinder before tossing it all together made it perfect.
iris butler
Serve with some sautéed or grilled nice big gulf shrimp. Oh, yum.
Jessie
You submerge the basil and the colander in the boiling water and then remove them both. The basil never leaves the colander.
Mona
This was much better after a night in the fridge.
Mona
Subbed vegan butter for the butter, otherwise followed the recipe. Ok, but nothing special.
Sarah Mc
Added plenty of salt, pepper and even Italian seasoning to the basil butter. Delicious!
the piehls
Followed recipe to a t and loved it. We topped it with some freshly grated parm and flakey salt. Amazing!!
CHRSF
Thought this might be underwhelming, but was completely wrong. With the addition of sufficient salt (I added 1 t.) and grated Parmesan, it was terrific. I used a 7 oz. bunch of basil from our garden, which yielded 4 c./3 oz. of leaves. I found that the composed butter weighed about 5 oz., total. Half the recipe is more than plenty for 2 eaters. When I make this again, I'll freeze 2 1/2 oz. portions to save for fast, easy, fall or winter meals. Highly recommend.
Eileen
I agree that blanching the basil seems to compromise the basil flavor. I’ve seen a recipe that uses half fresh spinach at half fresh basil, both raw; unlike basil the spinach stays bright green.
alia
I made this and was a little disappointed. Kind of bland. I’ll stick with pesto for my basil.
Mo
Girl Dinner cannot be 4 servings. It should be one serving, two if you’re feeling cheeky but my god never 4
Ruxandra
I am sort of happy not to use garlic, as I think I overuse it sometimes. I did add extra olive oil and the zest from one lemon. So creamy and delicious and the absence of garlic is refreshing. Pun intended.
Deta
I love basil and growing many 5’ tall plants. Always looking for ways to use fresh. I thought this would be a nice alternative to pesto but the perfume was too strong.
Sheryl
This is definitely a season to taste recipe.
Lindy
This dish was…fine. I made it in 20 min with my 9 year old (after basil comes out of boiling water immediately threw pasta in to cook, made basil butter and quick green salad while pasta cooked). We definitely needed to salt, pepper, and add tons of freshly grated Parmesan to taste the way we wanted, but it was quick and a crowd pleaser. I would not make this dish if I needed to purchase a large amount of basil. We had a ton of basil to harvest from our garden.
Karen
I made this with half a pound of spaghetti. It was delicious. I liked it better than traditional basil pesto.
Karen
I made this with half a pound of spaghetti. It was fantastic and I love it more than traditional basil pesto. Thank you Ali.
Karen
Great.
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