Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Ricotta Pesto
This creamy red pesto could very well be your next obsession. The hearty sun-dried tomato ricotta pesto is a velvety, flavor packed sauce that might make you crave for pasta night. It’s bright, light and satisfying.
Ingredients
- 7 ounces pasta like rigatoni, paccheri or penne
- 6 ounces pancetta or bacon, cut into cubes
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp pine nuts
- fresh thyme for serving (optional)
sun-dried tomato ricotta pesto
- 5 ounces sun-dried tomatoes drained (oil reserved)
- 4.5 ounces ricotta
- 1 ounce toasted pine nuts
- ⅓ cup oil from the sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tsp miso
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp crushed red chili flakes less or more to taste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
- Make the pesto. Add sun-dried tomatoes, ricotta, pine nuts, lemon juice, miso, chili flakes, smoked paprika and black pepper to your food processor. Purée until finely chopped. Add oil and process until smooth.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add pancetta and cook, 3 minutes. Discard any excess fat from pancetta, if needed. Add pine nuts, cook, tossing often, until pancetta is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until soft over low heat, 1-2 minutes.
- Add pesto and bring to a simmer over low heat, about 1 minute. Just until warmth through and well combined with pancetta, then immediately turn off the heat. Add pasta and 1/4 pasta water, toss while adding more cooking liquid until pasta is glossy and well coated with sauce. Taste and add more black pepper if needed. (If you’re not using pancetta, taste and add salt).
- Divide pasta among bowls. Sprinkle with extra freshly ground black pepper and garnish with thyme, eat!
Nutrition
Serving: 0gCalories: 740kcalCarbohydrates: 119gProtein: 31gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 249mgPotassium: 2775mgFiber: 13gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 1402IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 243mgIron: 8mg
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