Spaghetti With Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Food

PENNE WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
• Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan.
• Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve.

PESTO PASTA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• PASTA: Put broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with two tablespoons of water, cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir once half way through cooking time. Remove, drain and set aside.
• Boil pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente. Reserve one cup cooking water, drain pasta and set aside. Return pasta to cooking pot and stir in sun-dried tomatoes, pesto sauce and broccoli. Add warm pasta cooking water and stir just until sauce is evenly distributed (you may not use all the water). Serve immediately.
• PESTO: Pulse garlic, pine nuts and manchego cheese until coarsely chopped, about the size of peas. Add basil leaves and pulse briefly to combine. With food processor running, add oil gradually in a thin stream to make a smooth paste. Add salt to taste.

SPAGHETTI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta.
• Pulse sun-dried tomatoes, basil leaves, 2 cups parsley leaves, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Process to make an almost smooth paste, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Slip the spaghetti into the boiling water, and cook until al dente. Scrape half of the pesto into a large skillet over low heat, and add 1 cup pasta water. Use tongs to drain the pasta and transfer to the skillet. Drizzle with the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, and toss to coat the pasta with the pesto. Remove from heat, and toss with the grated cheese and the chopped parsley.
• You can freeze the remaining half of the pesto for future use. Just pack it in a plastic container with a thin film of olive oil on top. Thaw in refrigerator before using. Or you can cut the recipe in half, if you just want enough for 1 pound of pasta.

SIMPLE SPAGHETTI WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook the oil, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring, until the oil heats up and the garlic just starts to turn golden, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes; rinse the can with about 1 cup of water, and add the water to the skillet. Add the basil, raise the heat to medium-high and simmer until the sauce thickens, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the spaghetti to the boiling water, and cook according to package directions; strain well.
• Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce, and stir to coat. Serve with Parmesan if desired.