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One-Pot Pasta Pesto with Cherry Tomatoes

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 8 tablespoons olive oil (1/2 cup)
  • Salt
  • 1 pound bow ties or any cut pasta
  • 1 large bunch basil
  • 1 or 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 ounces Parmesan cheese (1 cup grated)
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 pint ripe cherry tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Put about a quart of water in a pitcher and have it handy by the stove.
  2. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the pasta and stir to coat in the oil. Add about 1 cup water and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cook, stirring frequently and adding more water 1/4 cup at a time to keep the mixture saucy, until the pasta just begins to get tender, no more than 10 minutes. If it’s almost tender before you are ready to add the pesto and tomatoes, turn off the heat.
  3. Strip 2 cups basil leaves from the sprigs. Put in a food processor.
    Peel 1 or 2 cloves garlic; add them to the food processor.
    Grate 1 cup Parmesan cheese.
  4. Add 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt to the food processor. Process, streaming in another 1/4 cup oil as you go and stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary, until the pesto is smooth.
  5. Halve the cherry tomatoes.
  6. When the pasta is almost fully tender, return it to medium heat if necessary. Add the pesto, tomatoes, about half of the Parmesan, and a splash more water if necessary to make it saucy.
  7. Cook, stir, and continue to add small amounts of water as necessary until the pasta is tender but still has some bite and the tomatoes are soft, just a couple minutes. Toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot or warm, passing the remaining Parmesan at the table.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast

Recipe variations

One-Pot Pasta Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes with Burrata The decadent fresh mozzarella that’s almost liquid on the inside is perfect with this sauce. Cut about 6 ounces burrata cheese crosswise into 4 thick slices, careful not to let too much of the milky interior ooze out. Let the cheese slices sit at room temperature while you prepare the pasta, then just after serving, nestle a piece into each bowl of pasta.