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Pesto pasta is one of those dinners I come back to again and again. It’s quick, reliable and almost impossible to get wrong – exactly what you want on a busy evening when everyone is hungry and you need something on the table fast.

This version is one of my favourite variations. The feta softens slightly into the warm pesto, making the sauce creamy and rich, while the green olives add a sharp, salty bite that balances everything beautifully.

It’s a small twist on a classic pesto pasta, but it makes the dish feel a little more interesting without adding any extra effort.

I usually make this with fresh pasta, which cooks in just a couple of minutes and makes the whole recipe genuinely possible in about ten minutes from start to finish. If you only have dried pasta, that works perfectly well too – it will simply take a little longer to cook.

Pasta recipes like this are worth keeping in your back pocket. They rely on simple ingredients, come together quickly, and still feel like a proper dinner rather than a last-minute compromise.

If you have a bit more time, try my Creamy Pesto Pasta Bake or my One Pot Cheesy Pesto and Spinach Pasta.

Cooked pesto pasta with olives and feta in a white bowl, topped with basil

Why Feta Works So Well in Pesto Pasta

Classic pesto pasta is already rich and flavourful, but feta adds another dimension to the dish.

As the feta warms through it softens slightly and creates little creamy pockets throughout the pasta. At the same time it adds a gentle saltiness that complements the basil and garlic in the pesto.

The olives bring something different again. Their briny sharpness cuts through the richness of the sauce and stops the dish from feeling too heavy.

Together, the pesto, feta and olives create a really satisfying balance of creamy, salty and fresh flavours.

A Small Trick for Better Pesto Pasta

One of the easiest ways to improve pesto pasta is to add a little pasta water when mixing the sauce.

In this recipe I simply half-fill the pesto jar with water, shake it and pour that into the pan. This loosens the pesto so it coats the pasta more evenly, and the starchy water helps the sauce cling to the pasta rather than sitting in oily clumps.

It’s a tiny step, but it makes a noticeable difference to the finished dish.

What Pasta Works Best for Pesto Pasta

Fresh pasta is my usual choice here because it cooks so quickly and keeps the whole recipe firmly in the “15 minute dinner” category.

If you’re using dried pasta, shapes that hold onto sauce well tend to work best. Good options include:

fusilli
penne
tagliatelle

That said, pesto is very forgiving and most pasta shapes will work perfectly well.

How to Cook Pesto Pasta

This couldn’t be easier to make, with just a few simple steps:

Process shot 1 - cooking pasta in a pot of boiling water

Cook your pasta in a pan of boiling water. Use fresh pasta to make the cooking time as short as possible.

Process shot 2 - adding pesto to the pasta

2. When it’s cooked, drain the pasta and return to your pan on a low heat. Add the pesto, then add a little water to the pesto jar, shake and tip into your saucepan to make sure you get all of that delicious pesto.

Process shot 3 - adding olives and feta to the pesto pasta

3. Add your drained green olives and chopped feta.

Process shot 4 - pesto pasta being stirred in a pan

4. Give everything a good stir and it’s ready!

More Pasta Recipes

If you enjoy quick and easy pasta dinners like this one, you might also like some of my other pasta recipes:

Or explore all of my pasta recipes here: 40 Easy Pasta Dinners for Busy Weeknights

The hub brings together all of my pasta dishes in one place, from 15 minute weeknight meals to comforting baked pasta recipes, so it’s a great place to browse if you’re looking for dinner inspiration.

Easy Ways to Adapt This Recipe

This pesto pasta works beautifully as it is, but it’s also a great base if you want to add extra ingredients.

A handful of peas or green beans works particularly well and keeps the dish feeling fresh and green. If you want to add some protein, shredded cooked chicken or leftover roast chicken can easily be stirred through at the end.

You could also add a handful of spinach, letting it wilt into the warm pasta just before serving.

But honestly, the combination of pesto, feta and olives is so good that most of the time I leave it exactly as it is.

What to Serve with Pesto Pasta

This pesto pasta works perfectly as a quick dinner on its own, but if you want to turn it into a bigger meal there are plenty of simple sides that go well with it.

A green salad with a sharp lemon dressing is a great contrast to the richness of the pesto. Something light and fresh balances the dish nicely.

A slice of warm focaccia or garlic bread is also lovely for soaking up any leftover pesto sauce.

If you want to add more vegetables, roasted courgettes, asparagus or tenderstem broccoli all work beautifully alongside pesto flavours.