Budget Friendly Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta

By Chef Jack Ovens · 25 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Boil salted water, cook the pasta shells until al dente, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Fry the garlic and chilli for 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the tomatoes break down and turn jammy and saucy.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and sugar and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and ¼ cup of the pasta water, then simmer gently 2–3 minutes until slightly thickened. Season to taste.
5. Add the cooked shells and toss to coat, adding more pasta water if the sauce needs loosening.
6. For the pesto: toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat until golden and fragrant, then let cool.
7. Blend the basil, parmesan, toasted pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice and a splash of olive oil until broken down.
8. With the motor running, slowly add olive oil until smooth but still textured; you may not need all of it. Season with salt and pepper and blend briefly again.
9. Top the pasta with fresh basil, parmesan, bocconcini and pesto, and serve hot.

Summarized from Chef Jack Ovens's video. Watch it for the details.

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GarlicCheeseTomatoLemonCreamParmesan cheeseTomato pasteCherry tomato