Monday, July 12, 2010

Creamy Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

As I promised yesterday, today I’m sharing the recipe for my new favorite pasta dish. Calling a pasta dish my “favorite” is a really big thing for me, because I love pasta and have probably tried more than a hundred recipes for it since I started cooking. This, though? This pasta is hands down my favorite.

I think its deliciousness really lies in its simplicity. There aren’t a lot of ingredients in this dish, so the flavors of each one really stand out. Maybe I’ve mentioned before how much we love roasted tomatoes in our house, so it probably comes as no surprise that we loved the flavor and texture of them in this creamy sauce. I’m so glad we’re having this for dinner again this week, because my mouth is already watering for it!

*By the way, I'm talking about a new application for celery on my personal blog today. You may want to check it out, especially if you have a teething baby!*

Creamy Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta
source: adapted from The Hungry Housewife

1 pound rigatoni
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup pesto
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chicken stock

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bring pasta water to boil, salt liberally, and cook pasta according to package directions.

2. In a medium bowl toss the tomatoes with olive oil, balsamic vinegar salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with foil and pour the tomatoes onto it. Place in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes (You’ll know the tomatoes are ready when they begin to burst. They should be done just as you’re finishing everything else if you time it right.)

3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter. Add the garlic to the butter and cook over medium heat for 1 minute. Pour pesto into skillet and mix well. Add the cream cheese and mix until smooth. Stir in parmesan cheese and chicken stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer over low heat 5 minutes.

4. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and toss with the pasta. Pour into a serving dish.

10 comments:

Keri said...

This pasta looks delish! I think roasted tomatoes have such an amazing deep flavor. Thanks for the recipe-- I'm going to try this this week!

Beth said...

Cream cheese? Really? Not you!

he he

Beth said...

Cream cheese? Really? Not you!

he he

Julie said...

Mmm...I'm seriously bookmarking this now!

Donna-FFW said...

With an ingredient list like this, how could it not be a favorite!

Monica H said...

I'm right there with Donna- this sounds wonderful!

Debbie said...

This looks and sounds great. I will be trying this one. Pasta is one of my favorites and I love trying new sauces. Thanks!

Tracy said...

Made this for dinner tonight and I must say that it tastes like something you could get at a restaurant. I added some grilled chicken to it (and cooked my tomatoes on a "foil boat" on the grill) and that was really good and gave it more substance. Other than that, I followed the directions (but used low fat cream cheese) and it was excellent.

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Unknown said...

I've made this before and made it again for dinner tonight. Sooo good! The only thing that I changed is to use just plain, fresh, diced tomatoes stirred into the sauce at the end, instead of the roasted tomatoes.