Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Pasta with basil cream sauce
Fresh basil gives this cream sauce a fragrant green flavor around soft pasta. Onion and garlic add a savory base, with lemon brightening the rich finish. The smooth sauce coats each noodle generously, leaving plenty of basil flavor in every forkful.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 10 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Soften the onion
Cook the finely chopped onion in melted butter until soft and translucent before adding the garlic and herbs.
2. Simmer until coating
Let the cream simmer until the sauce easily coats the back of a spoon before blending it.
3. Blend for smoothness
Use a blender, food processor or immersion blender to turn the cooked sauce smooth before returning it to the pan.
Get to know the ingredients
Basil
Roughly chop fresh basil before cooking it briefly with garlic and optional dried herbs in the softened onion.
Cream
Whipping or heavy cream forms the sauce base and simmers for five to seven minutes to thicken.
Pasta
Use cooked pasta at the end, adding it after the blended sauce has returned to a simmer.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Pasta with basil cream sauce
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Season after blending
Return the smooth sauce to the pan and add lemon, salt and pepper to taste before tossing with cooked pasta.
A little more help as you go
Dried herbs are optional
The directions allow optional dried herbs alongside basil, with rosemary, sage and thyme among the listed choices.
Cook aromatics briefly
Give the garlic and herbs just thirty seconds after the onion softens before pouring in the cream.
A few questions you might have
Does the sauce need blending?
The directions blend the cooked cream sauce until smooth before returning it to the pan for final seasoning.
When does lemon juice go in?
Add lemon juice after blending, when the sauce returns to the pan, along with salt and pepper.
What texture should the cream reach?
Simmer until the sauce easily coats the back of a spoon, usually after five to seven minutes.
Can I use an immersion blender?
Yes. A food processor, regular blender or immersion blender is offered for making the sauce smooth.
Is the pasta already cooked?
Yes. Add cooked pasta to the finished, seasoned sauce once it comes back to a simmer.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: simply-delicious-food.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
