Marinara sauce and Pesto are a match made in heaven. If you haven't tried this marinara pesto pasta, you really should. The marriage of umami tomatoes and garlicky herby pesto is so scrumptious. This is a semi-homemade recipe and one that you will keep on making it. It is on my weekly dinner menu and we just can't get enough of it.
For this recipe, I use ready-made marinara and pesto sauces, to make my life easier, and meals quicker. I use Rao's Handmade Marinara, along with classic Pesto from Costco. I use this combination on my homemade pizzas, sandwiches, and lasagna too.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It is made with a handful of ingredients
- It is a semi-homemade recipe
- Is very flavorful
- Great recipe for quick weekday meals
Pasta with Marinara and Pesto Sauce
Thank you to my husband, who combined marinara sauce and pesto at a pizza joint for his base sauces. I loved the sound of it so much, that I decided to give it a try. And you guys, I have never looked away! I am obsessed with this sauce!
I like to use store-bought sauces to get myself a head start and put an easy and quick meal on the table.
You can find both of these sauces at Costco. I use Rao's Homemade Marinara and Kirkland's Pesto. Rao's Handmade Pasta Sauces can be expensive. But if you buy them from Costco, you get two jars of marinara sauce for the cost of one. No, this recipe is not sponsored, I love these products.
Expert Tips To Make Marinara Pesto Sauce
- Cook the pasta as per the package instructions. I like to use Rigatoni, Spaghetti or penne.
- Add vegan sausages to add some protein to the recipe.
- If you don't have mascarpone cheese, you can use cream cheese.
- If you want to make it healthy, blend tofu and add it to the recipe to add the protein.
- Reserve pasta water to add it to the pasta sauce. This helps the pasta sauce coat well on the pasta.
- I am using the Costco pesto sauce, but it does have animal rennet in it. Look for vegan/ vegetarian brands of pesto.
Ingredients and Substitutions to Make Marinara Pesto Pasta
- Penne Pasta - I am using penne pasta to make this recipe, but you can use any pasta of your choice. I would use rigatoni pasta to make this recipe.
- Water - We will need about 4 to 6 quarts of water to boil the pasta.
- Marinara Sauce - A good quality Marinara Sauce will elevate this recipe. I use Rao's Handmade, other brands I like are Barilla and Ragu.
- Pesto - You can either buy store-bought pesto or make your own at home. I have a recipe for pesto on my reels on Instagram.
- Olive Oil - Use good quality cooking olive oil to make this recipe. You can also use butter.
- Shallots/Onions - The caramelized onions and shallots in this recipe bring out the sweeter undertones to this sauce, which is the best.
- Garlic - I love garlic, and this recipe speaks garlic! Don't worry it is amazing for this recipe and not overpowering.
- Mushrooms - I am using baby Bella mushrooms, but you can use any mushrooms you like. Mushrooms with Marinara add a depth of flavor and umami to this recipe.
- Mascarpone / Cream Cheese - You can use either of these cheeses. They add a velvetiness texture to the sauce which makes this sauce so good. I like to use mascarpone cheese, but you can use cream cheese for this recipe.
- Spices - I use red chili flakes and mixed Italian seasoning for this recipe. If you don't have Italian seasoning, substitute with dried oregano
- Toppings - I like to use fresh flat-leaf parsley, or cilantro and parmesan cheese.
Serving Suggestion
Serve the pasta hot right out of the pan. I like to add some red chili flakes, finely chopped flat parsley, and grated parm.
If you need to make it ahead of time, reserve extra pasta water. Add it while reheating, and then serve.
Storage Instructions
Store the pasta in an airtight partner, for 3-4 days. You can freeze, the pasta for up to 3 months. To reheat the frozen pasta, thaw it for 2 hours and then add it to the pan with some olive oil. Add some water, or vegetable broth and then mix until creamy.
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Marinara Pesto Penne Pasta
These nutrional values are automatically generated. Use them for estimation only.
Equipment
- Heavy Bottom Pot
- Colander
- Heavy Bottom Pan
- Spatula
Ingredients
To Cook the Penne Pasta
- 1 Lb Penne Pasta 1 box of Penne Pasta
- 4 to 6 Quarts Water
- 1.5 Tsp Salt
To Make the Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- ½ Cup Onions Finely Chopped
- 1.5 Tbsp Garlic Minced
- 1 Tsp Mixed Italian Herbs
- 1 Tsp Red Chili Flakes
- 8-10 Baby Bella Mushrooms Sliced
- 24 Oz Rao's Marinara 1 Jar of Marinara Sauce
- ½ Cup Pesto
- ⅓ Cup Mascarpone Cheese You can also use whipped cream cheese
- 1 Cup Pasta Reserve Water We will reserve pasta water before straining the pasta.
Toppings
- 2 Tbsp Flat Leaf Parsley Finely Chopped
- 2-3 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese Finely Shredded
- Red Chili Flakes
Instructions
To Cook The Pasta
- Place a Heavy Bottom Pot on The Stove on High Flame.
- Fill 4 to 6 quarts of water. Cover it and bring it to a boil.
- Now when the water is heating up, start working on your sauce.
- Once the water comes to a boil, add salt and full box of pasta.
- Cook the pasta as per the box instructions until Al Dente.
To Make The Sauce
- On a Medium Flame, place the heavy bottom pan on the stove.
- Add olive oil and let it heat up.
- Add finely chopped onions, garlic.
- Once the onions soften, add red chili flakes, and Italian Seasoning along with sliced mushrooms and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Saute the mushrooms until they are cooked. It should take like 3-5 minutes.
- Add your marinara and pesto sauce to the pan. Mix everything well.
- Let it cook for 2-3 minutes, then add mascarpone cheese or cream cheese. Mix it in the sauce and incorporate it well.
- Once the pasta is boiled, save 1 cup of water. Then, strain the pasta using a clonader. Wash the pasta with cold water.
- Add 1 Cup of Reserved Pasta Water to the sauce. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add your cooked pasta to the sauce. Mix it well.
- Turn off the stove after a minute.
Serve The Pasta
- Serve Pasta Hot topped with fresh parsley, red chili flakes and parmesan cheese
Notes
- If you want to add more protein to the recipe, add vegan sausage or soy nuggets to the recipe.
- I also like to blend tofu and then, add it to the sauce. This will make the pasta creamy and high protein.
Nutrition
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Mareed.
This was just special and delicious! I added sausage meat from 2 sweet Italian sausages taken out of their casings to give it some protein but other than that I followed the recipe. Keeping this as my “go to” basic pasta sauce recipe!
Aayushi Patel
Italian Sausages in the pasta sound like the perfect addition! So happy the recipe was special for you!
Ness
Definitely trying this TONIGHT!!! Going to be adding brussels to the mix. I'm so excited. I will leave a review once we eat it!!(:
Aayushi Patel
I hope you love them as much as we do!