Red Pesto Pasta
Red Pesto Pasta combines a rich sun dried tomato sauce, fresh tomatoes, spinach, Parmesan, and pine nuts with tender pasta for a tasty treat.
Equipment
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta (fusilli, cavatappi, radiatore, or other sturdy pasta shape)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (for salting pasta water)
- ¾ cup pine nuts (108 grams, divided)
- 4 oz baby spinach leaves
- 6 oz grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes)
- 8.5 oz jarred sun dried tomatoes in oil
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (ground)
- 2 oz Parmesan cheese
- basil leaves and additional Parmesan (for garnish)
Instructions
- Start a large pot of water to boil over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta. Cook until the pasta reaches your desired tenderness using the pasta package directions as a guide.
- While the pasta cooks, prepare the red pesto and other pasta ingredients. Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium high heat until they start to take on a golden color. Immediately remove them to a small plate to prevent burning them.
- Slice the cherry or grape tomatoes in half. Remove the stems and slice the spinach into ribbons. Grate or shred the Parmesan cheese, if necessary.
- Strain the sun dried tomatoes from the jar and reserve the oil and tomatoes separately. Remove ¼ cup of the the sun dried tomatoes and chop them into smaller bite-sized pieces.
- Measure the reserved oil in a liquid measuring cup. Add enough olive oil to bring it up to ½ cup of oil intotal.
- Add ½ cup of the toasted pine nuts, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper, ¼ cup water, the olive oil mixture, and the remaining sun dried tomatoes to a food processor.
- Process, pulsing several times, until the red pesto is uniform and coarsely textured, scraping down the inside of the food processor as needed.
- Once the pasta is ready, drain it in a colander. Add it back to the cooking pot. Add the pesto, sliced tomatoes, spinach, ¼ cup pine nuts, reserved chopped sun dried tomatoes, and the grated Parmesan cheese. Toss all of the ingredients well until the pasta is well coated.
- Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and garnish as desired with basil leaves and extra Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Notes
The salt used in the pasta water is not counted in the nutritional facts for the recipe.
Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts calculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.
Nutrition Facts
Calories: 588kcalCarbohydrates: 70gProtein: 18gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 1636mgPotassium: 1081mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2604IUVitamin C: 50mgCalcium: 172mgIron: 4mg
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