Easy Pesto Pasta With Tomatoes – Oven Roasted
Looking for an easy dinner that the whole family will love? This Pesto Pasta with tomatoes, is simple to make, packed with flavour and visually appealing too. The oven-roasted cherry tomatoes add sweetness and colour to a very simple dish.
Recipe Overview
Skill Level:
BEGINNER
Prep Time:
10 MINUTES
Cook Time:
30 MINUTES
What Makes This Recipe Great
Quick To Prepare: You don’t need a lot of effort to prepare this Italian pasta recipe, so it’s great for busy evenings.
Make it From Scratch: You can make your own pesto for an authentic flavour, or use store-bought pesto for ease.
Prep Ahead – The oven-roasted tomatoes in this recipe can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
Pesto pasta is one of those staples that is so easy to throw together when you don’t want to think too much about what to make for dinner.
Kids love it, it’s easy to prepare, and can be made in under 30 minutes. Just like this Courgette pasta, cheese fondue pasta and even this smoked salmon pasta.
When you want to add a little more vibrancy, effort, and some extra flavour to a simple Italian pasta dish, adding roasted tomatoes definitely does the trick.
When you roast cherry tomatoes, it brings out their sweetness, making them more palatable to those who aren’t that keen on fresh tomatoes. And, they can be made ahead of time too, which is great for meal planning.
If you want to go that extra mile, you can even make your own pesto in around 5 minutes with no effort needed.
Check Out More Pasta Recipes:
Bacon and Tomato Pasta – A creamy pasta packed with flavour and easy to find ingredients.
Pesto and Ricotta Pasta – Another pesto pasta but this time with ricotta cheese and fresh peas.
Roman Amatriciana – A classic pasta dish with a little twist of my own.
Equipment Needed:
- Oven-Proof Baking Dish: You’ll need a dish, preferably non-metallic to roast the cherry tomatoes in the oven
- Large Saucepan: Use one large enough to fit the pasta and cover it with water.
- Colander or Strainer: For draining the pasta.
- Wooden Spoon/Spatula: To Mix everything together.
Ingredients:
- Pasta: We are using dried fusilli pasta, but you can choose your favourite pasta shape. Spaghetti, penne, farfalle or rigatoni will all work well.
- Cherry Tomatoes: I am using mixed colour cherry tomatoes, just make sure the ones you choose are ripened well for the best flavour.
- Olive Oil: You need cooking olive oil and not extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.
- Pesto: If you wish, you can make your own homemade pesto, but any shop-bought basil pesto is fine to use.
- Parmesan Cheese: I recommend Parmigiano Reggiano for the best flavour. You can also use simple parmesan or Grana Padano.
- Fresh Basil Leaves (optional): Used for garnish.
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper: For Seasoning.
Substitutions and Additions:
Wondering if you can substitute or add an ingredient? Here, I will tell you if that’s possible.
Substitutions:
- Cheese: You can use Grana Padano or some Pecorino in place of the Parmesan cheese. If you want this dish to be vegetarian, don’t forget to check that the choice of Parmesan (and Pesto) you use should be labelled vegetarian as Parmesan often contains animal rennet.
- Oil: You can substitute the olive oil with sunflower or vegetable oil.
- Cherry Tomatoes: You can use grape tomatoes instead.
Additions:
- Sugar: To balance the acidity of the cherry tomatoes, sprinkle them with a little white sugar before roasting.
- Fresh Mozzarella Pearls: You can add fresh Mozzarella Pearls to add a creamy, milky texture. Buffalo Mozzarella cheese works best.
- Balsamic Vinegar: To add a tangy, slightly sweet element, drizzle a little balsamic glaze to the finished dish.
- Roasted Garlic: For an extra layer of flavour, include some roasted garlic cloves in the pasta or add it to the pesto.
- Grilled Chicken: Add some grilled chicken to make the dish fuller.
- Toasted Pine Nuts: For a little crunch, sprinkle toasted pine nuts over the top.
Smart Shortcuts:
In a rush and need to take some shortcuts with this recipe? Here’s some ideas:
Fresh Pasta – Cooks much quicker that dried pasta, to save you extra time.
Roasted Tomatoes – You can buy jarred versions of roasted tomatoes in most supermarkets.
Step-By-Step Guide – How To Make Pesto Pasta With Tomatoes
Prep-Ahead Time Saving Tips for Pesto Pasta With Tomatoes
Planning ahead makes this recipe even faster! Here are some ways to streamline your prep:
TOTAL TIME SAVED:
30 MINUTES
Roast The Tomatoes (Save 30 Minutes): Roasted Tomatoes can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 1-2 days.
Pre-grate The Cheese (Save 5 Minutes): Pre-grate the parmesan and store in the fridge in an airtight container ready for use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Roasting the tomatoes brings out their sweetness and flavour, but you can use chopped fresh tomatoes if you prefer.
Any pasta shape will work well for this dish.
Mastering This Recipe – Expert Tips
- Al Dente Pasta: Cook the pasta to “al dente,” which means it should have a slight firmness when bitten. Overcooked pasta can become mushy in the dish.
- Roasting Time: Keep a close eye on the tomatoes as they roast. The exact roasting time can vary, so remove them from the oven when they’re tender and slightly blistered.
- Serve Immediately: This dish is best served right away when the tomatoes are still warm and the pasta is at its freshest. You can roast the tomatoes ahead of time and reheat by covering them in foil and placing them back in the oven until heated through. Don’t reheat them in the microwave, otherwise they could explode.
Storage
- Storage: Most pasta dishes will change in texture when stored and reheated, but this pasta works well as a cold dish the following day, so leftovers can be eaten for lunch. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge one it has completely cooled.
- Freezing: Pesto and tomato pasta doesn’t freeze well as the texture will change and become soggy, so I don’t recommend it.
Easy Pesto Pasta With Tomatoes – Oven Roasted.
Ingredients
- 500 g Dried Pasta
- 350 g Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 4 tbsp Pesto
- 50 g Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Basil Leaves, optional
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes and place them in an oven-proof dish (glass, ceramic, or stainless steel).
- Drizzle the tomatoes with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the tomatoes for 25-30 minutes until they are tender and begin to blister. Keep an eye on them as roasting times may vary.
- Once roasted, remove the tomatoes from the oven, cover, and set aside.
- Heat a large saucepan of water and bring it to a boil.
- Add a tablespoon of salt to the boiling water and add the pasta.
- Boil the pasta following the package instructions until it is al dente.
- Drain the pasta and add the pesto immediately. Stir to coat the pasta completely.
- Add the roasted tomatoes and gently mix. If cooked on the vine, remove them or leave a few for decoration.
- Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves, parmesan cheese, and black pepper to taste.
Recipe Notes
- Use ripe, sweet cherry tomatoes for roasting.
- Keep a close watch on the tomatoes as roasting times can vary.
- Cook pasta until “al dente” for perfect texture.
- Garnish with fresh basil leaves just before serving.
- Serve immediately for the best taste.
- Tomatoes can be roasted ahead and reheated in the oven.
- Can be enjoyed warm or cold the following day.
