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Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta on a white plate with a gold fork and basil in the background
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5 from 4 votes

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

If you're looking for a quick and easy pasta lunch, look no further than this delicious Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta recipe!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Brunch, Lunch
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 2
Author: Chris Collins
Cost: £2.50 / $3

Equipment

  • Large Pot & Colander
  • Large Mixing Bowl & Tongs
  • Cup/Mug (for scooping pasta water)

Ingredients

Pesto Pasta

  • 7oz / 200g Pasta of choice (here I use Linguine)
  • 1/2 cup Sun Dried Tomato Pesto, or to preference
  • 1/3 cup / 80ml Starchy Pasta Water, or as needed (see notes)
  • pinch of Chilli Flakes (optional)
  • Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Garnish

  • Shaved Parmesan
  • Pine Nuts, toasted if desired
  • Small Basil Leaves

Instructions

  • Cook your pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, reserving a cup of starchy water just before you drain it.
  • Combine pasta in a bowl with 1/2 cup / 2-3 heaped tbsp pesto & chilli flakes if using.
  • Toss through 1/3 cup / 80ml starchy pasta water (or until you get to your desired texture, start off a little at a time). Serve with extra basil, pine nuts and parmesan!

Video

Notes

a) Check out my Homemade Sun Dried Tomato Pesto!
b) Starchy water - When you scoop out the pasta water, make sure it's towards the end of the cooking process so it's as starchy as possible. This will help emulsify the pesto and water more efficiently (and add more flavour). It'll also obviously be hotter as well, in comparison to scooping it at the start and letting it go lukewarm.
c) Mixing Bowl - Important to toss the pasta in a mixing bowl, not over heat in a pan. Subjecting pesto to direct heat will cause it to go greasy and potentially burn the basil.
d) Additional Fillings - I've tried this recipe with both grilled chicken and sausage, both work great. Any sort of roasted veg (courgette/zucchini, aubergine/eggplant, peppers etc) works great too. Feel free to chuck in some olives too if you like them!
e) Can I reheat leftovers? - I actually don't recommend reheating this, pesto is always served best at room temp!
f) Calories - Based on sharing between two people without the toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 25.84g | Protein: 11.29g | Fat: 35.75g | Saturated Fat: 6.125g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6.613g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20.793g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 640mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 2.8g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 1550IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 2.3mg