Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto and Mozzarella Pearls
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Quick, simple and family-approved — this pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto and fresh mozzarella pearls is delicious hot or cold.
Quick, simple, and family-approved, this pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto and fresh mozzarella pearls is perfect for a weeknight supper and can double as a vibrant pasta salad for a cookout. Pair it with a simple arugula salad and warm, crusty bread. For a heartier meal, grill some Italian sausages to serve alongside. The pesto makes enough for two dinners and freezes beautifully, too.
“The sun-dried tomato pesto was absolutely delicious! Hubby and I both went back for seconds and hubby is still talking about it the morning after.”
What You’ll Need To Make Pasta With Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (Add enough salt so that the water tastes like the sea.) Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. You’ll need to reserve some of the cooking water for the sauce. It’s easy to forget to do this, so I always set a liquid measuring cup out as a visual reminder.
Meanwhile, make the pesto. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the sun-dried tomatoes with their oil, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, sugar, basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil.
Pulse, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the mixture is finely puréed. Divide the mixture in half. Set aside.
Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water (you’ll need it for the sauce), then drain the pasta.
Add the pasta back to the pan. Add half of the pesto and stir to combine, adding the reserved pasta water little by little, until the pasta is well-coated and moistened. I usually use about 3/4 cup of the pasta water, but you may need more or less. (Refrigerate or freeze the remaining pesto for another meal.)
Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and red pepper flakes, if necessary. Right before serving, toss in 2 tablespoons chopped basil and the mozzarella pearls (it’s important to do this right before serving so the cheese doesn’t melt from the heat of the pan).
Transfer to a serving dish or pasta bowls and serve with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
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Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Mozzarella Pearls
Quick, simple and family-approved — this pasta with sun-dried tomato pesto and fresh mozzarella pearls is delicious hot or cold.
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta, such as fusilli, penne or farfalle
- 1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more for the pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 (8 oz) tub fresh mozzarella pearls, drained (alternatively, use a fresh mozzarella ball and cut into chunks)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. (Add enough salt so that the water tastes like the sea.) Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente.
- Meanwhile, make the pesto. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the sun-dried tomatoes with their oil, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, sugar, basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil. Pulse, scraping down the sides as necessary, until the mixture is finely puréed. Divide the mixture in half. Set aside.
- Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking water (you'll need it for the sauce), then drain the pasta. Add the pasta back to the pan. Add half of the pesto and stir to combine, adding the reserved pasta water little by little, until the pasta is well-coated and moistened. I usually use about ¾ cup of pasta water. (Refrigerate or freeze the remaining pesto for another meal.) Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and red pepper flakes, if necessary. Right before serving, toss in 2 tablespoons chopped basil and the mozzarella pearls (it's important to do this right before serving so the cheese doesn't melt from the heat of the pan). Transfer to a serving dish or pasta bowls and serve with more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Note: If you'd like to serve this pasta dish at room temperature, wait until the pasta is cool to add the mozzarella pearls.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 697
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 83 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 533 mg
- Cholesterol: 50 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Another Yummy one! Thanks Jen!
Without exception,this recipe and EVERY recipe in your cookbook AND on your website is sooo easy and so delicious! I added fresh corn sauteed with onion in olive oil after everything was mixed together. It was a huge hit!
Absolutely delicious! I paired it with your Parmesan Crusted Chicken and a simple salad.
I will make this again for sure!
This recipe was delicious. My husband is usually weary of dinners that don’t include any meat, but this was so delicious he didn’t even notice. The fresh mozzarella adds a great texture and the pesto was surprisingly easy to make. Love how accessible/easy your recipes are while still tasting like fine dining! Your recipes make me feel like I can actually cook!
I LOVE this, but not with pasta, I found the mozzarella a bland and rubbery addition to the dish, it was ok but not my favorite pasta dish, However, just the pesto as a dip or spread on grilled crostini was out of this world!!! The reserved half that the recipe makes was eaten plain by the spoonful and it is swoon-worthy.
Hi! My kids are in love with your dishes and are eager to try this one…the thing is, they have nut allergies. Do you suggest I try the recipe without the pine nuts, or is there another ingredient I can substitute in for the pesto? Thank you!
Hi Christine, You could just leave the nuts out – the sun-dried tomatoes give the sauce plenty of body. Add more cheese if you think it’s missing something. Hope that helps and so happy your kids like the recipes!
So delicious and easy to make! A hit with my pasta loving husband as well.
Really delicious recipe! Quick question how long would the pesto keep in the fridge? Thanks
Glad you liked it! The pesto should keep well in the fridge for up to about 3 days.
Hi Jen,
Just wondering… you say to use half the batch of pesto for this recipe. Approximately how much would that be?
Laurie
Hi Laurie, It’s about a cup. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this already and it was amazing!!! I was wondering if this could be made ahead and served cold?
Hi Vikki, Yes definitely – it’s good at room temperature. Just wait to add the mozzarella until the pasta is cool, otherwise it will start to melt.