Rigatoni with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Rigatoni with sun-dried tomato pesto is a delicious dish that combines pasta with a rich and flavorful dressing. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 350 g of rigatoni
• 100 g of sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic
• 30 g of pine nuts
• 50 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Fresh basil (a bunch)
• Extra virgin olive oil (as needed)
• Salt (as needed)
• Pepper (as needed)

Preparation

1. Start by soaking the sun-dried tomatoes in warm water for about 30 minutes to rehydrate them.
2. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni ‘al dente’ according to the package instructions.
3. Drain the sun-dried tomatoes and put them in a blender, add the garlic, pine nuts, and a handful of fresh basil leaves.
4. Blend everything while gradually adding extra virgin olive oil, until a creamy consistency is obtained. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the Parmesan cheese and blend for a few more seconds to mix everything together.
6. Drain the pasta, saving some of the cooking water, and pour it directly onto the serving dish.
7. Dress the rigatoni with the sun-dried tomato pesto, if necessary, add a little of the pasta cooking water to make the sauce creamier.
8. Mix well to ensure the pesto coats the pasta and, if desired, decorate with some fresh basil leaves.

Curiosity

Sun-dried tomato pesto is a variant of the more famous Genoese pesto. The use of sun-dried tomatoes is typical of the Mediterranean and gives the dressing a sweet yet intense taste, ideal to accompany pasta or to be used as a spread on croutons and bruschetta. You can further personalize this pesto by adding black olives or capers for a stronger flavor.

Enjoy your meal!