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!
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.
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
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.
Ooh la la! Made this for dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS!! Thanks for another fantastic recipe
What else do you use the vinaigrette with?
Thank you
https://whatsgabycooking.com/basil-vinaigrette/ some of my fav ideas are here
Amazing! This will be my new standard. I also added a little mustard to brush on chicken .
Thank you!!!
My husband hates zucchini, any others veg suggestion ?
asparagus!
This vinaigrette and the cilantro vinaigrette are SO amazing!! And versatile!! Just today I was improvising a minestrone and it needed some oomph. Thank you very much Basil Vinaigrette!! I had frozen it in ice cube trays……so convenient! It added that extra something something that made the soup over the top delicious! If you haven’t tried either of these you are missing out!!
Me and my wife love this recipe. It's simple and tastes awesome.
Oh Em Gee. Wasn't so sure about this recipe but it came together beautifully. Unfortunately, everyone loved it so much that there are no leftovers. I did kick up the red pepper flakes because we like a kick to everything. Almost put in some bell peppers but decided to make as written.
Do you think that either yellow or orange bell peppers would work?
absolutely! any veggie would really be a great addition
Wow, this recipe was a big hit here tonight. Neither my husband nor my ten year old daughter care for zucchini but they devoured this pasta. Such a light and fresh summer dinner! This is going on rotation all summer long.
If I am using the basil vinaigrette on your pizza recipe could I sub the red wine vinegar for balsamic vinegar or apple cider? With COVID I can't find red wine in my small neighborhood San Fran speciality shops and don't want to go to Whole Foods.
yes i think apple cider would be the best bet!
Loved this!!!!!
Wellllllll that was delicious. And simple. And bright. And satisfying. And comforting. And delicious... Bye. I’ll be making this every night for the rest of summer. Thanks! Topped ours with mozzarella balls and it was luscious.
Hi Gaby,
Thank you for this Basil Vinaigrette recipe. It looks delicious and easy.
Have a great weekend.
Lucy
My new go-to dinner!! Just love all the fresh basil.
Gaby, I used to be scared of cooking until I read about you in the Daily News. I immediately ordered your new cookbook. I've been trying your recipes and guess what? You have made me cook the scared right out of me. Thank you for making recipes that are a delicious delight!
made my day!! thank you Susan! xx
Could I turn a homemade pesto sauce into this vin by simply adding vinegar to it?
ya and you'll probably need to thin it out further with some olive oil