Creamy Pesto Pasta with Meatballs

This Creamy Pesto Pasta is made with fire roasted red peppers, fresh basil, garlic, tomatoes and cream and served with the most amazing spicy Sicilian style meatballs – plus, its ready in under 30 minutes!!

Who doesn’t LOVE meatballs? Especially in a slightly spicy, creamy, roasted red pepper and tomato sauce over pasta with some delicious pesto challah bread.

This Creamy Pesto Pasta is just that. Perfectly creamy, slightly sweet, with just the right amounts of spice. Just enough to make your tongue tingle.

And seriously, cream sauces are just the best. Are they healthy? No. But are the decadently delicious? YES.

You just can’t go wrong with a nice creamy sauce over your pasta, like in this creamy chicken cordon bleu pasta recipe.

Why This Recipe Works

1. The roasted red pepper pesto is made with just the perfect amount of spice;
2. Fire roasted red peppers are slightly sweet, which is the perfect complement for the creaminess and spice in the pasta;
3. Basil adds just the right amount of freshness to the pasta;
4. The meatballs are perfectly tender, juicy and spicy, complemented by the cream sauce;
5. It’s SOOOOO easy to make, ready in about 30 minutes!

Ingredients

The ingredients should be easy to find in your local grocery store.

• Carando® Fresh Italian-Style Sicilian Meatballs (see below)
• Spaghetti – I like to use the thick spaghetti, but any kind will work.
• Garlic cloves
• Tomatoes – Roma tomatoes work great for this recipe, but any tomatoes will be fine.
• Red wine
• Heavy cream
• Roasted red peppers – Roast your own or buy them in a jar. Learn How to Roast Red Peppers from The Daring Gourmet.
• Pine nuts
• Basil
• Red chili flakes (crushed red pepper)
• Coconut sugar
• Parmesan cheese – fresh grated Parmesan cheese has the best flavor.

I used Carando® Fresh Italian-Style Sicilian Meatballs for this recipe. These meatballs have a wonderful robust flavor and make it SUPER easy to create a home cooked Italian meal in no time. And let me tell you, these meatballs are incredible! The boyfriend just raved and raved about them. They’re our new go-to when we want meatballs.

Carando products are high quality, fresh and authentically Italian in flavor. Whether you’re making a quick and easy pasta dinner, meatball appetizer, or any other dish, these meatballs are always fresh (they’re not frozen) and the perfect way to get a great meal with minimal effort. And who doesn’t love that?

Head over to Carando’s website to check out they’re other delicious fresh, never frozen meat products like Carando® Fresh Italian Sausage Links​ and Carando® Ground Fresh Italian Sausage.​ I just buy mine right at my local Albertson’s in Alpine, CA. And if they have them in my little part of town, I’ll bet you can find them at a store near you too!

Carando® Fresh Italian-Style Meatballs can be found in the fresh meat cases with other fresh meats. They are hard to miss!

Step By Step Instructions

Cook the spaghetti for about 8 minutes and drain. Pasta will not be fully cooked – it will finish cooking in the sauce.

Cook the meatballs according to the package instructions (or bake meatballs for 10 minutes per side). Then place them in a skillet to brown them after baking – I like a nice crust on my meatballs. Set aside.

Add the pesto sauce (see below for cooking instructions) and red wine and bring to a simmer.

Add the cream, bring to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer for about 5-7 minutes, until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.

Add the pasta to the sauce and let cook for about 2 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

How to Make Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

Toast the pine nuts in a skillet over medium low heat until lightly browned.

Combine all the ingredients in a blend and pulse until fully combined.

***Don’t forget to go check out Carando’s website to check out all their different products and where to find them!***

Expert Tips

1. Any kind of pasta can be used in place of the spaghetti;
2. Add more crushed red pepper for added spice if desired;
3. This can also be made with basil pesto – try this Basil Pesto recipe from the Suburban Soapbox.
4. Add sautéed broccoli, spinach, peas, red peppers or any vegetable to make this a complete one-pot meal.

1. Can creamy pesto pasta be made in advance? You can make the pesto sauce, meatballs and pasta ahead of time. Store them all separately in the fridge in airtight containers for up to 3 days. Start with step 3 in instructions. You can also make the cream sauce in advance and mix in the pasta and meatballs when ready to serve.
2. Can creamy pesto pasta be frozen? I do not recommend freezing this pasta.

Favorite Pasta Recipes

• Creamy Salmon Pasta;
• Tortellini Pasta Salad;
• Fettuccini Alfredo from Modern Honey;
• Pasta Carbonara from The Stay at Home Chef;
• Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta.

More Pesto Recipes

• Sun Dried Tomato Pesto;
• Lemon Pesto;
• Basil Pesto from Cookie & Kate;
• Cilantro Pesto from Show Me the Yummy.

Did you make this Creamy Pesto Pasta? Rate the recipe and leave a comment to let me know how it turned out!