Basil Vinaigrette Pasta (The ONLY summer pasta you need)!

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I bought 2 lbs of basil last weekend at the farm. Who am I? And am I planning to cook for an army of humans? Obviously Basil Vinaigrette Pasta was the natural way to put all of it to use!

Basil Vinaigrette Pasta from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)


 

If you've never made basil vinaigrette before, you need to drop whatever you're doing right this very minute, go to the store, buy all the ingredients, and then go find yourself a blender. It's the best multi-use sauce you could possibly make this summer, and it goes on EVERYTHING. You can put it on pasta, you can put it on chicken, you can put it on toast, and even on eggs! Like literally - case in point right here. But today, it's on this Basil Vinaigrette Pasta.

Basil Vinaigrette Pasta from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

This time around the basil vinaigrette is getting tossed with some fresh short pasta and some summer veggies. It's perfection. The zucchini gives it some bite, the basil infuses everything it touches and the pasta is al dente just the way I like it. It's truly one of the easiest summer pasta dishes you could make! Serve it hot, cold or at room temperature and you're in business! And it will double as an incredible leftover lunch the next day! I know I said this is the only summer pasta recipe you'll need but I have another one to add to that list: my epic Summer Ratatouille Pasta recipe is an essential to this season!

And if you want to make a double batch of basil vinaigrette - be my guest! I made a triple batch and then froze it in ice cube trays so I could pop a few out whenever needed and use it on basically every summer recipe from now until October! It's also the best hack for winter when all the amazing fresh produce isn't as abundant everywhere. So if you need to add a little pizazz to any dish at a moment's notice, you can just pop a frozen cube of basil vinaigrette out of your freezer and voila, you have a little touch of summer in the dead of winter!

Stuck in a dinner rut? Looking for new delicious dinner ideas?  Check out my roundup of 50+ easy dinner ideas here.

Basil Vinaigrette Pasta

Author: Gaby Dalkin
5 from 30 votes
My famous Basil Vinaigrette tossed into a summer pasta is the recipe of the summer!! You'll be obsessed!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mediterranean
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 shallots thinly sliced
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 zucchini cut into coins and quartered
  • Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • Fresh basil and parmesan to garnish

For the Basil Vinaigrette:

  • 1 shallot roughly chopped
  • 2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves stems removed (about 4 ounces)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  • In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and red pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant. Add the zucchini and saute until just soft. Add the pasta and ½ cup of basil vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add more basil vinaigrette as needed. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice and serve.

For the Basil Vinaigrette:

  • Combine all the ingredients for the basil vinaigrette in a high powered blender and blend for 60 seconds until very smooth. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Notes

While we automatically think of basil as a pasta pairing, feel free to use any flavored vinaigrette you love. I find they last up to a week in the fridge, so I always have at least one vinaigrette going at a time.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 507kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Sodium: 403mg | Potassium: 359mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 591IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @WhatsGabyCookin or tag #whatsgabycooking!

52 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is absolutely delish! I didn't end up using zucchini and used more pepper flakes, but I highly recommend this recipe. The flavor is very Punchy! yet well rounded. If you have the ingredients on hand it only took me 15 mins to make (the pasta cooking is the most time consuming part tbh).

  2. 5 stars
    Made it tonight on a whim based on what ingredients I had on hand (thank you Google) and already dreaming about having it again. This sauce! It’s like pesto and chimichurri had a baby!

    Gaby, does this work well served cold or room temperature? Seems like it would be the perfect dish to bring to a BBQ.

  3. 5 stars
    This is truly the only pasta salad you need in your life. My boyfriend's sister and I make it every family vacation/holiday weekend. Everyone LOVES it. We have to save some on the side for ourselves since they run to eat it. Cant wait to make this again for Memorial Day.

  4. I'm not sure what I did wrong but I tried this and it didn't taste very good. It just didn't taste like much of anything, not really a strong basil flavor. I'm thinking maybe my basil wasn't fresh enough?

  5. Can this be made and eaten room temperature? I am doing a lunch with a garlic honey mustard chicken as main course and was looking for a pasta salad type dish that I could make before guests arrive.
    Thank you and thank you for being cute as a button always making me laugh when doing a video.
    Laura

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