Grape Tomatoes & Pesto Over Whole Wheat Garlic Pasta (serves 4 - 6)

This recipe is simple, quick, and versatile.  It looks and tastes like it took you all day, but it only takes about 15 minutes (depending on how fast your water boils) from fridge to plate!  We used leftover Pappardelle's Cilantro and Roasted Poblano pesto we had, but you can use any flavor of pesto and acheieve the same delicious results.  The whole wheat flavor of the pasta provides you a blank canvas.  To cut down on the dishes, wait until after the pasta is done boiling and reuse the pot to roast your garlic and tomatoes.

Ingredients

1 lb. Pappardelle’s Whole Wheat Garlic Pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes
1/2 package of Pappardelle’s pesto or 3 oz. homemade or other pesto
Freshly grated Parmesan
Handful of fresh basil

Method

1. Cook pasta in a pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente (about 8-10 minutes). Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water. Drain and rinse with warm water.
2. While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add grape tomatoes and cook until they are warm, about 3-5 minutes. Remove garlic and tomatoes from heat. Stir in pesto. If needed, add small amount of reserved cooking water until proper consistency is achieved.
3. Serve sauce over individual plates of pasta. Garnish with fresh basil and freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.

Copyright © 2011 by Pappardelle's Pasta Co.

Source of Inspiration

The recipe comes from none other then Pappardelle's Pasta!  The photo and description come courtesy of the Pasta Artistica Test Kitchen!