Pesto Pasta

penne pasta with pesto and blistered tomatoes

This vibrant dish features tender pasta in a satiny basil pesto sauce. Topped with bright, blistered tomatoes, each bite delivers the perfect balance of savory and sweet. And it couldn’t be easier to prepare.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Keyword blistered tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, pasta with pesto, pesto

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 825kcal

Author Robin Miller

Ingredients

For the Pesto (or use 1 cup store-bought pesto)

2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese preferably freshly grated
2 tablespoons pine nuts or cashews
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic

For the Pasta

1 pound pasta of choice such as penne, rigatoni or spaghetti

For the Blistered Tomatoes

2 cups grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

To prepare the pesto, combine the basil leaves, parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor. Add the olive oil and puree until smooth. Set aside.
To prepare the blistered tomatoes, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the tomatoes. Cook, undisturbed, until the tomatoes start to blister on the bottom. Stir and cook for a few more minutes, until the tomatoes are blistered all over. Season the tomatoes with salt and black pepper. Set aside.
To prepare the pasta, add 2 teaspoons of salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Transfer the pasta to a large bowl. Add the pesto and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss to coat, adding more pasta cooking water as necessary to create a silky sauce.
Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Top the pasta with the blistered tomatoes (if using) and serve with extra parmesan cheese on the side.

Nutrition