This delicious vegetarian pesto pasta bake is made entirely in one dish and makes weeknight dinner easy with little fuss! With bold and fresh flavors this pesto pasta recipe is sure to become a family favorite!

The BEST Pesto Pasta Recipe

If you can’t tell I’ve been on a major one pan recipe. This pesto pasta bake is no exception! All you need are 10 simple ingredients and a casserole dish to have dinner on the table tonight.

What I love about this pesto pasta recipe is that it’s simple and can be customized to your liking. If you’re using store-bought pesto sauce it’s even easier! Not to mention that you only need one dish AND you don’t need to use pre-cooked pasta.

You literally throw everything into a baking dish and then bake. The pasta absorbs all the liquid and delicious flavors for a warm bowl of pasta with minimal fuss. No need to cook pasta in a pot and then drain! This is the perfect busy weeknight dinner recipe that the entire family will love!

Ingredients in Pesto Pasta Bake

• Cherry tomatoes – roughly 1 dry pint or sub in whichever tomatoes you prefer.
• Olive oil – Ideally extra virgin olive oil but use what you have.
• Garlic cloves and shallot – for aromatics and flavor.
• Short pasta of choice – some choices of noodles include: penne, rotini, fusilli, rigatoni, even orzo!
• Basil pesto – you can use store-bought basil pesto sauce or homemade.
• Water – you could also use chicken broth or veggie stock for added flavor.
• Salt and Pepper – add to taste. Feel free to reduce salt if you’re watching sodium levels.
• Shredded mozzarella cheese – or see note below on other cheese options.
• Fresh basil leaves – for sprinkling on top.

How to Make Pesto Pasta

STEP 1: BAKE TOMATOES + VEGGIES

In a 9×13 inch baking dish, combine the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and shallots and roast for 10 minutes.

STEP 2: COMBINE PASTA AND LIQUID + BAKE

Stir in dry pasta, basil, water and salt and pepper. Stir well to ensure pasta is full coated. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from oven.

STEP 3: ADD CHEESE + BAKE

Stir pasta around in remaining liquid and then top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed into pasta. Top with freshly chopped basil, salt and pepper and red chili flakes (if desired).

Easy Swaps + Substitutions

Make it gluten-free – I recommend substituting brown rice pasta in place of wheat pasta if you’re looking for a gluten-free pasta. I find that chickpea pasta or lentil pasta gets a little soggy when you bake them so I’d skip those.

Add protein – Add cubed chicken breast, rotisserie chicken, chickpeas or even tofu to your pesto pasta recipe. Just stir in and bake as directed.

Change the pesto – Sub in a different flavor of pesto. This sun dried tomato pesto is delicious as is this kale pesto!

Up the veggies – Add whatever veggies you have laying around (roughly 1-2 cups). Spinach, mushrooms or bell peppers would all be great.

Add spice– Like a kick? Add some red pepper flakes to your pesto pasta bake for a little heat.

Sub in a different cheese – not a fan of mozzarella? You can sub in any shredded cheese instead. Parmesan cheese tastes great in this pesto pasta recipe!

Storage Instructions

Refrigerator – You can store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Simply reheat in oven or on stove top.

Freezer – If you’d like to prep this pesto pasta bake in advance and store in the freezer, you absolutely can! Simply allow to cool and then cover with aluminum foil and plastic wrap. Allow to thaw overnight on the counter and then bake for a few minutes to reheat.

More Pasta Recipes:

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