Pesto Pasta

By rdgplus3

I quite often substitute Feta cheese for the Parmesan in this recipe.

Ingredients

• 450 g penne pasta
• 1/2 cup (approx) basil pesto
• 12 cherry tomatoes
• 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese or 1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
• Fresh basil leaves (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain well. Transfer to heated serving dish. If using “dry” sun-dried tomatoes, soak in boiling water for 15 minutes to soften, then chop. Add pesto to hot pasta and toss. If pesto is a little too thick to blend in, add 1 tbsp pasta cooking water or hot water. Stir in cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts; season to taste with pepper. Use a cheese plane or vegetable peeler to make Parmesan cheese shavings; sprinkle on top of pasta. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, if using.