30 Minute Basil Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Kicking off Monday with this 30 Minute Basil Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes, pancetta and did I mention lots of basil?
Short Cut Pasta with lots of garlic (because it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t add it), fresh basil, lemon, mascarpone, pancetta (optional) parmesan and sun dried tomato that’s ready in about 30 minutes, and uses mostly pantry staple ingredients and lots of fresh basil (so make sure you have enough in your garden or pick up a plant from trader joes!) that’s Ideal for any day of the week! You can completely customize it to your liking by adding fresh tomatoes, or any other garden veggie you have available.
Basil Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes
Ingredients:
For the Pasta:
1 lb short cut pasta
olive oil
Lemon, juice + zest
2 tbsp butter
cracked black pepper
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan
sun dried tomatoes (as much or as little as you’d like)
Pancetta (optional)
S+P
whole head of garlic ( or use as little as you’d like), half whole and half chopped.
red pepper flakes
2 cups fresh basil + about a handful to toss in the pasta at the end
4 oz mascarpone, at room temperature
Instructions:
In a food process, add the basil, garlic lemon juice and about 1/4 cup of olive oil. process until it all comes together. Place it aside until ready to use.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente and Drain (but keep about 1/2 cup of the pasta water).
To make the sauce, heat 1 tbsp olive oil, red pepper flakes, lemon zest and the rest of the garlic together over medium-high heat. Cook 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add the butter and the pancetta (if using). let it cook for another 2-3 minutes then add the sun dried tomatoes. Season with Salt and pepper.
Cook another minute, then stir in the basil mixture, continue cooking until the basil becomes fragrant (about 1 -2 minutes) then add the mascarpone and the 1/2 of parmesan cheese. Whisk it until it becomes smooth (at this point, you can add 1/4- of the pasta water). Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook 5-6 minutes.
Toss in the rest of the parmesan and the pasta along with the rest pasta water to the sauce and cook 3-5 minutes, on low. Turn off the heat and toss in the handful of basil
To serve, divide the pasta among bowls and serve topped with more basil, flaky sea salt and pepper!
Enjoy
