14 Dinners With Pesto That Will Knock Your Socks Off

Traditional pesto is made with basil, pine nuts, and parmesan cheese. These days, you can find pesto made with a variety of greens and nuts, such as kale and walnuts. It’s never a bad idea to have a jar in the pantry for those nights when you need a quick dinner.

Though you can make it on your own, canned versions and refrigerated versions are so much more convenient. Both are found in the pasta sauce section. Refrigerated pesto will have the freshest herb flavor but also a much shorter shelf life.

The dinner recipes below are quick, easy, and use a hefty portion of pesto. They’re perfect for when you have pesto in the fridge that you’ve been wanting to use up.

I get cheers when I make meatballs for dinner. This genius recipe saves me from chopping herbs and uses pesto instead. These have me cheering too, because they only require four ingredients and bake in only 15 minutes.

Give your grilled chicken sandwich a zing by adding basil two ways. Fresh basil tops the sandwich alongside tomato and mozzarella, with pesto spread on the bun. Ciabatta buns hold it all together without getting soggy.

Keeping a hearty vegetarian soup in your back pocket is a marvelous idea. The pesto adds an extra layer of flavor that elevates this meal to company-worthy. If asparagus isn’t in season, you can swap it out for broccoli.

Senior Editor Laurel Randolph says, “Since this is a two-ingredient deal, the second ingredient is a real powerhouse: pesto. Rather than adding several separate ingredients, pesto ticks a lot of boxes. There’s the flavorful oil, fresh garlic, zesty basil, and nutty Parmesan or Pecorino cheese. All of these ingredients pair wonderfully with white beans.”

While not the quickest meal to make, this vegetarian lasagna earns points by its ability to be made ahead, doubled, and frozen. Plus, it’s delicious! Tomato haters will appreciate being able to dig into this meal wholeheartedly. 

You made the kale pesto (or bought it at Trader Joe’s). Now what? Toss it with pasta, lemon and mozzarella for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Whole wheat has a nutty flavor that kale pesto adds a pleasant zip to but any pasta will work here.

Here’s your reminder to pull out your stash of pesto that you froze and use it in this pot of soup. The recipe makes 10 servings of soup and keeps well in the refrigerator, saving you from tired lunches for the rest of the week.

Contributor Coco Morante says, “Shrimp and pesto is such a good combination, and cherry tomatoes add pops of summer flavor and vibrant color. They’re actually the only ingredient requiring chopping in this recipe—everything else just goes straight into the skillet. A few fresh basil leaves on top are a great addition if you have some around, too.”

Hold on to the flavors of summer with a garden-fresh pasta salad. The spiral pasta is enrobed with basil pesto and then olives, cherry tomatoes, and green peas are added, resulting in a satisfying lunch or welcome side at the next backyard bbq.

Adding kale along with the basil pesto tempers the sauce and adds a hearty helping of greens in the process. Plus, I’m always looking for new ways to use kale that don’t require me to massage it beforehand. This recipe keeps it simple and doesn’t add any other vegetables to the pasta, letting the kale and basil pesto shine. 

Pasta dinners are my weeknight go-to. The spaghetti is tossed in the pesto before adding the sauteed shrimp and artichokes. Canned artichokes are a fine substitute for frozen, just remember to drain them before adding to the pasta.

All you need are 6 ingredients and you’ll have a crowd-pleasing pasta dinner. Pesto and fusilli pasta are the main ingredients, which makes this a very flexible recipe. Use whatever pesto you have on hand or experiment with an untraditional variation, such as pea pesto.

Turkey season is almost here but even if you’re not looking for a way to use up all that leftover Thanksgiving turkey, this is a recipe worth checking out. Substitute ground turkey and have dinner on the table in 30 minutes.

Senior Editor Laurel Randolph says, “Since this dressing only has two ingredients, the pesto you choose makes a big difference in the final outcome of the dish. I highly recommend you gravitate toward store-bought refrigerated pesto rather than jarred. It tends to have a more vibrant color and tastes much fresher, which is key for this dressing.”