Basil and tomatoes are a well-known match made in heaven, and we’re crushing on this pairing in the form of pesto and sun-dried tomatoes from the south of Italy. Rich, herbaceous pesto is a delicious savory counterpart to naturally sweet sun-dried tomatoes - and with a little pasta and extra Parmigiano Reggiano to tie it all together, you can’t beat this perfectly simple dish that comes together in 20 minutes.

Perfect Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

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Perfect Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users

Category

Pasta

Servings

4

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound short pasta, such as Paccheri
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • 2/3 cup store-bought or prepared pesto

  • 1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped, oil reserved

  • 2 tablespoons oil from sun-dried tomatoes
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Put the pasta into a large serving bowl and add the Parmigiano Reggiano. Toss until coated.
  2. Add the pesto, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, oil from the sun-dried tomatoes, and toss well to coat. Add pasta water, if needed, to loosen the sauce. Add salt, to taste, if necessary. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold as a pasta salad.
vegetarian