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Pasta and pesto are a match made in foodie heaven, but this cavatelli with arugula pesto? It’s on a whole other level! Each bite of perfectly al dente cavatelli is coated in a vibrant, flavor-packed pesto made with peppery arugula, crunchy pine nuts, fresh thyme, and fragrant basil, all brought together with a generous sprinkle of parmesan. And the best part? It’s ridiculously easy to make—ready in just 30 minutes, making it a total weeknight dinner win. Top it off with creamy dollops of ricotta and a handful of toasted pine nuts, and you’ve got yourself a dish that’s fresh, bold, and downright irresistible!
Elevate pasta night with this no-fuss cavatelli recipe featuring a fresh arugula and basil pesto. Cavatelli with arugula pesto is a relatively simple yet elegant dish.
If you love pasta dishes, you might also enjoy pasta amatriciana, paccheri pasta, stuffed rigatoni pasta pie, or Mediterranean chicken pasta.
Why You’ll Love It
Easy to make: You simply need to cook the pasta, create the fresh pesto and combine the two, and then simply plate, garnish and enjoy.
A quick pasta dish: You can have it on the table ready to eat in just 30 minutes.
Fantastic fresh flavors: Using fresh ingredients makes all the difference. Fresh basil and arugula offer fresh flavors in the pesto, along with the fresh thyme for a delicate yet vibrant flavor.
It’s customizable: You can use different pasta or try other ingredients to customize the pesto sauce to your liking.
Cavatelli with Arugula Pesto Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Cavatelli pasta: A traditional Italian pasta from Southern Italy, cavatelli is a small, shell-shaped pasta that’s surprisingly simple to make by hand, as you don’t need a pasta machine. Of course, it’s easier to buy it online!
Baby arugula: Adds an aromatic peppery flavor.
Pine nuts: These are more delicious if you toast them in a dry skillet first to bring out their nutty taste.
Fresh basil and fresh thyme: These add a complementary herby touch to the dish.
Parmesan cheese: Use freshly grated cheese in the pesto for the best result, plus some shaved parmesan for your garnish.
Extra-virgin olive oil: To perfect the consistency of the baby arugula pesto.
How to Make Pesto Cavatelli
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add pasta and cook it to al dente over a medium heat. Drain the cavatelli, saving some of the pasta water.
Toast the pine nuts: Toast them in a large sauté pan, shaking it often, until golden brown and aromatic.
Blanch the arugula and basil: Blanch them in boiling water briefly and then plunge in ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain.
Make the pesto: Add the toasted nuts to a food processor and pulse, then add the basil, arugula, thyme, and some salt and mix. Add parmesan cheese and pulse again. Drizzle in as much of the olive oil as you need to thin it and puree.
Assemble the dish: Toss the pasta with the pesto and reserved pasta cooking water and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, topped with ricotta cheese, arugula, parmesan shavings, and toasted pine nuts.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten-free option: If you want a gluten-free version, use gluten-free pasta.
Pine nuts: Walnuts are a nice substitution for pine nuts.
Homemade pesto: This sun-dried tomato pesto offers a twist on the flavor. If you’re in a rush, you could even use pesto from a jar.
Cavatelli pasta: Orecchiette, fusilli, gemelli, and rotini are all good substitutions for cavatelli. They are of similar shape and size, and all hold onto sauces well. Casareccia pasta is another option and the most similar in shape but is a bit longer and thinner than cavatelli.
Baby arugula: Baby spinach can be substituted for arugula. Be sure to blanch it to retain the bright green color. Or you could use fresh herbs like basil, oregano or a combination of herbs. If you’re concerned about the peppery taste of arugula, I find that the other pesto ingredients tame it greatly. Another idea is ramp pesto. Ramps are in the same family as green onions, leeks and garlic, offering a distinctive flavor. You could use half arugula and half ramps if you like.
Parmesan cheese: Substitute pecorino romano or use some of each. Pecorino cheese is another idea.
Serving Suggestions
Appetizers: Begin your meal with an antipasto platter or some spinach artichoke stuffed mushrooms.
Side dishes: Enjoy a parmesan and lemon salad with the pesto cavatelli, or perhaps a panzanella salad.
Desserts: Finish off with classic Italian tiramisu.
How to Store Cavatelli with Pesto
Store: This dish is best served immediately but, if you have leftovers, they will keep in an airtight container in the fridge. Eat them within a day or two.
Freezing: Freezing is not recommended for this dish.
Reheat: Warm it back up gently in a saucepan on the stove, stirring often.
Top Tips
Save some time: You can skip the step of blanching the arugula and basil if you are short on time; just remember your pesto might not be as vibrant a green.
Add the right amount of oil: Add the extra-virgin olive oil gradually. You might not need all of it – just add enough to achieve your preferred pesto consistency.
Parmesan curls: Use your vegetable peeler to make the parmesan curls. For smaller curls, use the side edge of the chunk of cheese. You can also buy shaved parmesan cheese at the grocery store. It doesn’t last as long in the refrigerator, so freezing it works best.
Cavatelli Pasta FAQs
Eight-finger cavatelli refers to the number of fingers needed to roll it into its signature shape. There are also 3-finger and 1-finger pastas.
The confusion comes from the similarity in names. Cavatappi is more like macaroni, shaped like curly hollow tubes. You could make a cavatappi pasta recipe with pesto instead of using cavatelli but it’s quite different in shape.
The water from cooked pasta contains starch from the pasta. When added back into the sauce, it helps bind the sauce to the cooked pasta. In this recipe, it thins down the pesto as well.
Easy Cavatelli with Arugula Pesto Recipe
Cavatelli with Arugula Pesto
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- 1 Pound cavatelli pasta
- salt, as needed
For the Arugula Pesto:
- ½ Cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1 ½ Cups basil, fresh
- 1 ½ Cups baby arugula, plus extra for garnish
- ½ Teaspoon thyme, fresh
- ½ Cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ½ Cup extra-virgin olive oil
- salt and black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- 1/3 Cup ricotta cheese
To Garnish:
- parmesan shavings
- arugula leaves
- pine nuts, toasted
Instructions
Cook the Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook per the package instructions.
- Drain the pasta when al dente, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water for use in the sauce.
- Return the drained pasta to the pan to keep it hot, off the heat.
Toast the Pine Nuts:
- While the pasta is cooking, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over a low heat.
- Stir them every minute for about three minutes. They are ready when their color changes to a light golden brown. Don't over-toast them, or they will taste very bitter – watch them carefully!
- Transfer the nuts to a paper towel to cool.
Blanch the Arugula and Basil:
- Bring a medium pan of water to a boil.
- Blanch the arugula and basil for 30 to 45 seconds to set the vibrant green color.
- Immediately plunge the blanched herbs into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
- Remove the herbs from the ice bath and drain on paper towels.
Make the Pesto:
- Add about 1/3 cup of the cooled pine nuts to a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
- Add the basil, arugula, and thyme to the food processor along with ¼ teaspoon of salt and puree.
- Add the grated parmesan cheese and pulse to mix it in.
- With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the opening in the lid and puree to your desired consistency.
Assemble the Dish:
- Stir the pesto and reserved pasta water into the pot of hot, drained pasta.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon the pasta into serving dishes and top with small dollops of ricotta cheese.
- Garnish with fresh arugula leaves, the remaining pine nuts, and parmesan shavings. Serve immediately.
Notes
Add the right amount of oil: Add the extra-virgin olive oil gradually. You might not need all of it – just add enough to achieve your preferred pesto consistency.
Parmesan curls: Use your vegetable peeler to make the parmesan curls. For smaller curls, use the side edge of the chunk of cheese. You can also buy shaved parmesan cheese at the grocery store. It doesn’t last as long in the refrigerator, so freezing it works best.
Nutrition
Cavatelli with arugula pesto is a simple yet elegant dinner idea with al dente pasta, creamy ricotta and a beautifully flavored homemade pesto made using baby arugula, basil, toasted pine nuts, and thyme. It’s easy to make, even the pesto sauce, and only takes half an hour to create from scratch, making it a great option for your dinner table tonight.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
I never knew arugula pesto could be this good! The peppery bite of the arugula mixed with the fresh basil made such a bold and vibrant sauce. And those little dollops of ricotta? Absolutely dreamy.