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Home » Recipes » Pasta with basil cream sauce

Pasta with basil cream sauce

July 7, 2020 by Alida Ryder 15 Comments

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Creamy pasta is an easy dinner dream. Al dente pasta served with basil cream sauce is the perfect vegetarian meal and can be ready in 20 minutes.

Pasta with basil cream sauce

I know a recipe is absolutely delicious when my husband asks for it continuously. I made this easy creamy basil sauce recipe one night when I I made my favorite Tomato Cream Rigatoni. He struggles with heart burn so he tries to stay away from tomatoes as much as he can. I whipped this creamy sauce up in minutes and he absolutely loved it. So did I and since then I’ve been making it weekly. It’s so simple and perfect served with al dente pasta (my fav is tagliatelle). It’s also scrumptious served over pan-seared chicken breasts, pork and salmon.

Ingredients

  • Cream. Heavy / Whipping cream.
  • Onion.
  • Garlic.
  • Fresh basil.
  • Dried herbs. I used oregano and parsley but rosemary, herbs de Provence and sage will also work.
  • Lemon juice. 
  • Salt and pepper.
  • Pasta.

How to make basil cream sauce

  1. Make the sauce: Melt butter in a large frying pan set over medium high heat and add a chopped onion. Cook the onion until soft and translucent then add garlic, chopped basil and dried herbs. Cook for another 30 seconds. Pour in cream (heavy or whipping cream). Allow to simmer for a few minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon easily. Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Pour back into the frying pan and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
  2. Finish and serve: Allow to come to a simmer then stir in cooked pasta or serve over chicken with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves.

Can basil cream sauce be made ahead?

This sauce can be made a few days ahead and be kept sealed in the refrigerator. To re-heat, pour into a pan and allow to come to a simmer gently.

Basil cream sauce

Creamy pasta recipes

  1. Easy creamy lemon garlic mushroom pasta
  2. Creamy lemon broccoli pasta
  3. Rosemary cream chicken pasta
Pasta with basil cream sauce

Pasta with basil cream sauce

Creamy pasta is an easy dinner dream. Al dente pasta served with basil cream sauce is the perfect vegetarian meal and can be ready in 20 minutes.
4.59 from 24 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Basil cream sauce, Creamy pasta, easy dinner recipe
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 346kcal
Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2-3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
  • 1 tsp dried herbs of your choice (basil, rosemary, sage, thyme or Herbs de Provence all work well)
  • 1 cup whipping or heavy cream
  • 1-2 tsp lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 500 g pasta cooked

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a pan then add the onion. Cook until soft and translucent.
  • Add the garlic, basil and dried herbs (if using) and cook for another 30 seconds.
  • Pour in the cream and allow to come to a simmer. Simmer for 5-7 minutes until the sauce covers the back of a spoon easily.
  • Transfer sauce to a food processor or blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth.
  • Pour the sauce back into the pan and add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and add cooked pasta or serve over cooked chicken.

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 259IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 2mg

 

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Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, Pasta, Quick and Easy, Recipes, Vegetarian Tagged With: Basil, creamy sauce, Easy dinner, Pasta, vegetarian recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Darcy

    October 25, 2020 at 1:19 AM

    Hello! I don’t have basil on hand usually. Can I pop in any pesto sauce I might have on hand instead?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 2, 2020 at 3:36 PM

      Yup, that should work well.

      Reply
  2. Anne

    September 12, 2020 at 4:34 AM

    Hi Alida, thanks for sharing this recipe! I am excited to try it. Can you recommend a substitute for cream to make this sauce vegan?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      September 14, 2020 at 9:47 AM

      You could use cashew cream or a nut milk. It just won’t thicken as much as heavy cream so I would suggest thickening the sauce with a little cornstarch.

      Reply
      • Adam

        October 3, 2020 at 4:10 AM

        This sounds delicious. Can i use fresh parsley and oregano instead of dried? I have both growing.

        Reply
        • Alida Ryder

          October 3, 2020 at 10:11 AM

          Absolutely!

          Reply
  3. Victoria

    July 16, 2020 at 2:30 PM

    Easy and so tasty

    Reply
  4. Addi

    May 12, 2020 at 12:30 AM

    Hi there. Is it possible to make a substitution with whole milk for the heavy cream?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      May 13, 2020 at 3:50 PM

      The sauce won’t be as delicious or as thick since the milk won’t thicken once cooked but you could use milk if you preferred. Maybe thicken with a little cornstarch?

      Reply
  5. Abi

    February 9, 2020 at 12:28 AM

    This is so amazing. I’ve made it three times now, one time for Christmas Eve, and everyone loves it!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      February 11, 2020 at 2:12 PM

      So happy to hear that, Abi! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Michelle

    August 9, 2019 at 5:42 PM

    Hello! This looks delicious. Any chance I can use plain Greek yogurt as an alternative to whipping cream?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      August 11, 2019 at 6:23 PM

      I’ve never tried it with Greek yogurt and don’t advise cooking Greek yogurt as it will split.

      Reply
  7. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen

    August 5, 2019 at 8:03 PM

    I just grabbed some fresh basil from my neighbors plant Alida! She’s always telling me to take some, so I think I know what I’ll be making with my stash! Looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      August 5, 2019 at 8:23 PM

      You’re going to love this simple sauce recipe Mary Ann. It’s so great on so many things.

      Reply

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