Photo: foodnetwork.com (I miss my camera.)
When the weather outside is frightful, it’s always delightful to stay in and cook up your own good eats. Whether it’s a quick lunch or full-out feast, cooking is a great way to wind down and get something yummy out of the process. But cooking that’s easy and doesn’t take all day? I’m there. A city girl has places to go and people to see! So when I stumbled upon Giada De Laurentiis’ 5-ingredient Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto, I couldn’t resist.
The recipe itself only calls for 5 simple, inexpensive ingredients- most of which you already have around the house. And the savviest part? It takes literally 10 minutes to throw together. The recipe can be found on Giada’s Food Network page, but here’s my own variation on the dish...
The recipe itself only calls for 5 simple, inexpensive ingredients- most of which you already have around the house. And the savviest part? It takes literally 10 minutes to throw together. The recipe can be found on Giada’s Food Network page, but here’s my own variation on the dish...
Ingredients
12 ounces fusilli pasta (it’s what I had in the pantry)
1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I found the pesto to be a tad dry without it)
2 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan.
3. Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve.
Voila! A quick, delicious pasta dish that’s healthy and super flavorful. I was beyond impressed by this dish, and even my boyfriend didn’t care that it was vegetarian (he’s getting better with these things). Not to mention, this meal for 4 (or 1 if you’re ravenous) costs only around 10 bucks to make. That’s $2.50 per person! And who said a budget-savvy girl can’t eat like a Food Network superstar?
12 ounces fusilli pasta (it’s what I had in the pantry)
1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I found the pesto to be a tad dry without it)
2 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
2. Meanwhile, blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan.
3. Add the pasta to the pesto and toss to coat, adding enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. Season the pasta, to taste, with salt and pepper and serve.
Voila! A quick, delicious pasta dish that’s healthy and super flavorful. I was beyond impressed by this dish, and even my boyfriend didn’t care that it was vegetarian (he’s getting better with these things). Not to mention, this meal for 4 (or 1 if you’re ravenous) costs only around 10 bucks to make. That’s $2.50 per person! And who said a budget-savvy girl can’t eat like a Food Network superstar?
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