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Fun and festive Christmas Pasta recipe with a five-minute homemade basil pesto. Topped with adorable mini mozzarella snowmen, this pasta dish is everything you want in a showstopping holiday meal!
Serve it as an easy dinner any day in December, prepare it for your next holiday gathering, or surprise your kids and send it off in a lunchbox.
Feel free to double or triple the quantities if cooking for a larger group. Kids and adults alike will love this fabulous meal!
Christmas Pasta Ingredients
Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card below for the complete details!
- Pesto: It only takes 5 minutes to make homemade pesto with fresh basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and sea salt.
- Spaghetti: I like using spaghetti for this recipe, but any pasta will do.
- Bocconcini: Also known as mini mozzarella balls.
- Grape tomatoes: Use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, as long as they are as wide as the mini mozzarella balls, so the snowman’s hat doesn’t look too overwhelming.
- Fresh basil: For the snowman’s scarf. Swap for spinach, mint, or omit.
- Sesame seeds: For the snowman eyes and buttons (or use chia seeds).
How to Make Christmas Pasta
- Prepare the pesto. Mix the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and olive oil. Season to taste.
- Assemble the snowmen.
- Cook the pasta. Drain and toss with pesto (and pasta water).
- Arrange the pasta pesto in a bowl and top with the snowmen.
Tips for Success
- Use only basil leaves.
- Cook the pasta al dente.
- Add a small quantity of the pasta water when mixing the spaghetti and pesto to combine the flavors.
- If serving the pasta on several smaller platters, make sure there is at least one snowman for each person.
- Do not heat the pesto as it will lose its beautiful color and flavor.
Possible Variations
- Pesto: You can make pesto with spinach, parsley, arugula, mint, kale, coriander, or sundried tomatoes. Swap pine nuts for any nuts, pumpkin, or sunflower seeds. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, chili flakes, or jalapeño for even more flavor.
- Add-ins: Top with Parmesan cheese, cheddar, chicken, shrimp, chopped tomatoes, edamame, or flaked salmon.
- Snowmen: You can make snowman faces instead and leave out the canapé sticks.
- Canapé sticks: Swap for toothpicks. If the snowman is too long, just make the face and hat. Be sure to remove the toothpicks before eating.
FAQs
No, toss it with the hot pasta. Heating the pesto can make it turn black.
You can make a double portion of pesto if you like.
Keep it in a glass container in the fridge.
Yes, dollop it into a small glass container or freezer bag. Use within 3 months.
Festive Platters
- Christmas Tree Sausage Rolls
- Christmas Grazing Platter
- Christmas Tree Sandwiches
- Sausage Roll Wreath
Christmas Pasta
Ingredients
Basil pesto
- 1 handful fresh basil, leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- 20 grams pine nuts
- 20 grams Parmesan
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Mini mozzarella snowmen
- 4 grape tomatoes
- 9 bocconcini, mini mozzarella balls
- fresh basil leaves, to garnish
- 15 black sesame seeds
Pasta
- 250 grams spaghetti
- 100 ml pasta water, reserve from the pasta
Instructions
- To make the pesto, mix all the ingredients in a mini food processor (you can add more olive oil for a runnier consistency).
- To make the snowmen, cut the tip off the grape tomatoes.
- Slice a bocconcini to make the bottom of the hat.
- Slide the grape tomato tip onto a canapé stick, followed by the slice of cheese.
- Next, add two bocconcinis.
- Top with sesame seeds for eyes and buttons, a small sliver of tomato peel for the nose, and a fresh basil scarf.
- Assemble the additional snowmen.
- Cook the pasta in salted water according to the packet instructions.
- Drain and toss with the pesto and a little pasta water.
- Transfer the pasta pesto to a bowl.
- Top with the snowmen.
- Serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
