Turn Store-Bought Pesto Into A Perfect Pasta Sauce With One Addition

Sometimes we'll stumble on a store-bought jarred pesto so incredible we want to use it on everything. From a sauce on pizza and sandwiches to a delicious addition for soups and salads, the right pesto wears many hats. Of course, it's great on pasta too, but sometimes grainy pesto is better when it mirrors a luscious sauce. To give it that texture, add light cream to store-bought pesto.

Made from pine nuts, cheese, and basil, pesto's chunky, thick texture stems from these delicious ingredients. Though it should be smooth enough to toss pasta in, you can always thin out store-bought pesto without losing flavor by adding an extra dash of olive oil. If you'd like to retain the pesto's thickness, however, opt for light cream. The dairy product is a little fattier than half-and-half, giving pesto a lusciously creamy texture that isn't too dense. Since it doesn't get heavy, it retains the fresh taste and feel of pesto while still giving it a certain silkiness.

In addition to light cream, add a touch of pasta water to the mix. The starchy water will help to bind the pesto with the cream and loosen any lumps that may occur while still maintaining the sauce's rich consistency. To turn your pesto into pasta sauce, saute garlic or shallots in butter before adding cream to the pan. Stir in the pesto and allow the two to thicken, slowly adding in the pasta water as needed.

Adding light cream to pesto takes the herbaceous, earthy flavors of the classic recipe and morphs them into a silky sauce that heightens those aspects rather than obscuring them. The cross between the rich texture and refreshing flavors makes it perfect for light pasta dishes that still have a touch of heartiness to them. A tortellini Greek salad features grape tomatoes, feta, red onions, and cucumbers on a bed of cheese-filled pasta. A creamy basil pesto sauce acts like a light, velvety blanket for the pasta salad while still ensuring it tastes bright.

Pesto-turned-pasta-sauce also makes for a delicious addition to a seafood pasta dish. Smoked salmon pasta requires thin noodles like linguine or angel hair, which soak up the creamy pesto without getting weighed down. The recipe also calls for cherry tomatoes, perfect for magnifying the rich flavor of a creamy sun-dried tomato pesto sauce. When heating up the pesto, add a dash of basil and oregano to elevate the sauce's bright, woodsy flavors and complement the sweet, smoky salmon.

Aside from pasta-centered dishes, the herby sauce works well as a salad dressing. A zesty spring salad with peas, mozzarella balls, arugula, slivered almonds, Kalamata olives, and grilled shrimp goes well with the creamy texture of the upgraded pesto. To thin out the sauce so it better coats the salad, be a little more heavy-handed with the pasta water and add a dash of lemon juice for brightness.