Red pesto mascarpone pasta. A rich and comforting mid-week dinner idea made with only a few ingredients. Imagine al dente noodles tossed in a creamy sun-dried tomato pesto jazzed up with salty Parmesan. It’s knock-your-socks-off delicious and ready in 20 minutes.
For this pasta sauce you only need a few things: garlic, shallot, a jar of sun-dried tomato pesto, parmesan and mascarpone. That last ingredient is what makes the sauce extra special, it adds richness without making this dinner feel too heavy.
The result is a comforting pasta that will most likely become a go-to recipe that everyone at your table will agree on. Just add a big side salad for a quick and easy meal.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.
RECIPE NOTES
- add bacon, rotisserie chicken or meatballs to the sauce
- use any kind of your favorite pasta shape
- add fresh basil
- use store-bought or homemade red pesto
- make it spicy, by adding more red pepper flakes
- serve with a big side salad drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Try These Next
- Smoky Bacon Tomato Sauce Pasta
- Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta
- Pasta with Sun-dried Tomato Ricotta Pesto
- Creamy roasted pepper and sun dried tomato pasta
- Creamy Red Pesto Chicken
Cooking Video
Red Pesto Mascarpone Pasta
Ingredients
- 350 g/12.5 oz pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 tsp salt, black pepper, dried sage
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, more for serving
- 200 g/7 oz sun-dried tomato pesto
- 140 g/5 oz mascarpone
- 20 g/¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente. Scoop up 1 cup cooking water. Drain.
- In the meantime, mince the garlic and finely chop the shallot and parsley.
- Heat oil in a large skillet, over low. Add garlic and shallot, cook until soft and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, sage and red pepper flakes. Add red pesto and stir for 1 minute. Add mascarpone, stir until dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cooking water and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Next, stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add pasta and toss to combine. Add more cooking water, if needed, to create a glossy sauce. Finish off with freshly ground black pepper and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Notes
Calories Per Serving: 531 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Love your recipes and recently joined the club. Can I use sundried tomatoes in place of semi-dried for this Red Pesto Mascarpone Pasta recipe I never have semi dried onhand.
And is this your red pesto recipe? I can’t find one that is just red pesto..
Thank you in advance.
Hi Karen, thank you so much, I’m really happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
You can use ‘regular’ sun-dried tomatoes in this recipe.
As for the red pesto, you can use this one Red Pesto Pasta Salad with Bacon or the one from the Spicy Red Pesto Pasta with Sausage
Please let me know if you have any more questions, happy cooking!