Pesto & Pasta
Pesto and pasta with rotelle tossed in basil pesto then topped with a creamy tomato-pesto sauce. A quick four-ingredient dinner where pesto hits twice for double the basil flavor.
YIELD
3 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
20 minREADY
30 minPesto works double duty in this quick pasta dish. Half gets tossed directly with the hot rotelle to coat every curl, and the other half gets stirred into tomato sauce with cream for a pink, creamy pesto sauce poured over the top. Two different pesto experiences in every bowl.
The cream smooths out the acidity of the tomato sauce and lets the basil pesto flavor come through without a harsh tomato edge. Just a quarter cup transforms the sauce from sharp to silky.
Rotelle (wagon wheel pasta) catches the creamy sauce in every spoke and groove. It’s a shape chosen for function, not just fun.
Kitchen Tips
- Toss the pasta with pesto immediately after draining while it’s still hot. The heat helps the pesto melt into and coat every piece.
- Warm the tomato-pesto-cream sauce gently. Don’t boil it or the cream can separate.
- Use good-quality prepared pesto or homemade. Cheap pesto with filler ingredients tastes flat in this simple dish.
- Serve right away. The pasta absorbs the sauce quickly and dries out as it sits.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook Rotelle according to package directions.
Drain and add 3 tablespoons of pesto.
Toss to coat. Set aside. In saucepan combine remaining pesto and tomato sauce.
Stir until mixed. Add cream and stir well. Pour over pasta and serve.
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