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 makes a fabulous weeknight supper, and it also doubles as a vibrant pasta salad for a cookout. Pair it with a simple arugula salad and warm crusty bread. Or for a more substantial meal, grill some Italian sausages to serve alongside. The pesto yields enough for two dinners, and it freezes nicely, too.

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.

Please find original recipe link here.