My family and I frequent the restaurant Noodles & Co., and I always get their pesto cavatappi dish. The pasta is always cooked just right and the pesto so flavorful, I always leave feeling satisfied, and usually wanting more (since a good portion of my noodles always goes to my 2-year-old!). The dish is pretty simple - noodles covered in pesto with some mushroom and tomato chunks thrown in - so I decided to try recreating it myself. This way I could personalize it with my own pesto and by increasing the amount of tomatoes and mushrooms, making it a bit more nutritious. There’s also the added benefit of homemade being a little easier on the wallet :)
In a large pot, cook pasta per instructions. Once pasta is al dente, drain the water. Mix in the sautéed tomatoes and mushrooms. Stir in pesto a little at a time until desired flavor is reached.
~Karla
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Ingredients: (makes 6-8 servings)
~1 cup basil pesto (recipe here)
½ lb mushrooms (I used baby portobello, but any will do)
3-4 tomatoes (I’m partial to Roma tomatoes)
½ lb cavatappi pasta (may also be referred to as cellentani or fusilli rigati) - of course, any other pasta will work as well
1-2 TBSP canola or olive oil
Black pepper, garlic (ground or minced) to taste
Slice the mushrooms and roughly chop the tomatoes. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté mushrooms and tomatoes, seasoning with pepper and garlic.
In a large pot, cook pasta per instructions. Once pasta is al dente, drain the water. Mix in the sautéed tomatoes and mushrooms. Stir in pesto a little at a time until desired flavor is reached.
Serve up as-is or as a complement to your favorite protein, such as Parmesan-crusted chicken, pictured above.
~Karla
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Spirally pesto pasta goodness!http://cooksofcakeandkindness.blogspot.com/2015/11/pesto-cavatappi.html
Posted by The Cooks of Cake and Kindness on Monday, November 9, 2015
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