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Believe it or not, it’s fairly simple to turn a box of pasta into a delicious weeknight meal. By adding homemade pesto sauce to freshly cooked pasta and topping it with roasted tomatoes and freshly grated parmesan, you’ll have an incredibly simple and flavorful dinner with only a handful of ingredients. This is my favorite way to cook pasta during the summer months, and the roasted tomatoes add such bright and cheery flavor. When I’m done with work and I need something easy to make for dinner, Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes always hits the spot. I hang out in the living room with Chloe while the tomatoes are roasting and the pasta is simmering, and 30 minutes later, I have a delicious and satisfying dinner for a warm summer night.

I love this recipe for pesto sauce because it makes a lot, so I’ll freeze the extra sauce in small jars and take it out as needed. It’s great on pasta of course but also as a substitute for pizza sauce. It also pairs fabulously with garlic bread or as a marinade for chicken or fish. It’s a sauce that I enjoy on all sorts of dishes, all summer long. Give it a try, and take your week night meals up a notch with just a little more effort!

Interested in learning more about the benefits of eating and growing tomatoes? My friends over at Yard Day have wrote this article on the 5 Benefits of Eating and Growing Tomatoes, and share a list of health benefits, how to choose the right tomato, how to grow it, tomato recipes & more!

 

 

 

 

 

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Prep Time

15 mins

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Cook Time

15 mins

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Total Time

30 mins

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Ingredients

• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup basil
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 cup Romano cheese, shredded
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1-2 large handfuls of grape tomatoes
• 16 oz. dried spaghetti pasta
• salt and pepper for seasoning
• Parmesan cheese for topping

 

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Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. While oven is heating up chop 1-2 large handfuls of grape tomatoes. Place on a baking sheet with a little drizzle of olive oil and salt/pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until blistered.
2. Place a large pot of water on top of stove and boil. Once boiling add a 16 oz. box of dried spaghetti and cook according to package directions.
3. Place the spinach, basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt, Romano cheese and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add more olive oil if you want thinner sauce.
4. Take the drained pasta and place in a large bowl, top with desired amount of pesto. Add cooked tomatoes and toss to combine. Top with parmesan cheese right before serving.

***You will have pesto sauce left over. Place it in small jars in the freezer. It will freeze beautifully.

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