Tomato Pesto Pasta Recipe
I love tomatoes. I love pesto. And I love pasta. Naturally, I came up with a tasty recipe to combine the three. Sadly, the Creole tomato season is long over but tomatoes are still barely in season in the northern parts of our country so tasty tomatoes are still to be had.
Also, over the summer I made a large batch of pesto from basil from my dad’s garden. It has held up quite well in the freezer and I just cut off little slivers as I go along. The pesto has lost its vibrant green color but since I am using it exclusively for cooking, that isn’t as much of an issue as if I were trying to use it in a fresh salad or dressing. This is a great way to enjoy the lovely summer basil well past summer’s end.
Tomato Pesto Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
1/8 c olive oil
1 onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
4c diced tomato (Creole in the summer, Roma otherwise)
1 t each of dried thyme, garlic powder and onion powder
1/2 c spinach pesto
4 c bowtie pasta, cooked
1/2 c fresh mozzarella, diced
Kosher salt, to taste
Method:
- If you haven’t cooked the pasta already, start it now and it will be ready by the time the sauce is done. Be sure to cover the pot while heating the water and salt the water well. Cook according to package directions.
- For the pasta sauce, heat oil on medium high flame and once hot, add onions and a generous pinch of kosher salt.
- Sauté onion for 5-7 minutes, until they begin to caramelize and are very soft.
- Add in garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes, until very fragrant.
- Stir in tomatoes and add in the thyme, garlic powder, onion powder and another pinch of salt. Stir well and taste to be sure the mixture is seasoned. Once happy with the salt level, cover the pot and lower the heat a little.
- Cook covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once done, mix in pesto and pasta. After mixing well, stir in mozzarella to finish.
- Best served with a green salad and/or garlic bread.
Prep:15 minutes
Cook:20 minutes
Total:35 minutes
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