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Orecchiette With Pesto and Oven Roasted Tomatoes

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5 from 1 review

We’ve got the classic Caprese salad flavor combination of tomato, basil, and mozzarella. It is the Italian flag in a bowl, and it’s a beautiful thing!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Pesto

  • 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts
  • salt to taste

Orecchiette

  • 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 16 ounces orecchiette pasta
  • 1 batch of homemade pesto (recipe below)
  • 1 cup fresh mozzarella (Ciliegine), sliced in half and room temperature

Instructions

For the Pesto

  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary.

Orecchiette

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and set a large pot of salted water on high heat to boil for the pasta.
  2. In a small bowl, toss the tomatoes with a teaspoon of olive oil. Lay them in a single layer on a Silpat lined baking sheet, and roast for 15-18 minutes.
  3. Cook pasta according to directions and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
  4. Add the freshly made pesto to your pasta and stir to coat. If the pesto is too thick for your liking, you can thin it out a bit with the reserved pasta water, adding a little at a time.
  5. Add in the oven roasted tomatoes and room temperature fresh mozzarella. The warmth of the pasta will soften the cheese.
  6. Taste the pasta and add salt as needed.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://lovelylittlekitchen.com/orecchiette-pesto-oven-roasted-tomatoes/