Easy pasta dinner/supper

[Rachele]

This is one of my favourite pasta dishes. It's incredibly easy to make and is suitable for lunch, dinner or even supper.

Put your pasta on to cook. In a sauté/frying pan, soften some thinly sliced red/orange/yellow peppers in olive oil. When the peppers are almost ready, throw in some cherry tomatoes (I tend to use about 8 per-person), a tablespoon of red pesto per person and some dried chillies to taste. You can also add a couple of tablespoons of pasta water. Once the tomatoes have softened to the point where the skins have burst, take it off the heat. Drain your pasta and mix into the pesto sauce. Serve immediately, with some parmesan cheese and fresh basil. Delicious!

 

[MoniqueS]

This sounds really good. Oddly enough, I love cherry tomatoes but I don't like them cooked or served with a warm dish. Nonetheless, I love peppers in pasta dishes. I also love the idea of dried chillies to add some spice. But what is in the red pesto you use? Is it made from sun-dried tomatoes or red pepper? Do you make it yourself?

 

[Rachele]

This sounds really good. Oddly enough, I love cherry tomatoes but I don't like them cooked or served with a warm dish. Nonetheless, I love peppers in pasta dishes. I also love the idea of dried chillies to add some spice. But what is in the red pesto you use? Is it made from sun-dried tomatoes or red pepper? Do you make it yourself?

The main ingredients in the fiery chilli pesto that I use a lot are red peppers and tomato paste. I have never made my own pesto, but I would definitely give it a whirl. I have to factor cost into my cooking though, and making homemade pesto would probably cost much more than what I pay for a jar, as I haven't got any vegetables in the ground this year. Next year, when I have got my own tomatoes and peppers it would be a possibility.

 

[MoniqueS]

I've never made my own either, but my grandmother does all the time. But she makes a green pesto with basil and pine-nuts. My personal favorite is adding pesto to alfredo sauce. But that is obviously a very indulgent and high-calorie dish, so I need to limit my consumption...unfortunately.

 

[Rachele]

I've never made my own either, but my grandmother does all the time. But she makes a green pesto with basil and pine-nuts. My personal favorite is adding pesto to alfredo sauce. But that is obviously a very indulgent and high-calorie dish, so I need to limit my consumption...unfortunately.

I only really like green pesto if it's on a cold pasta dish, which is bizarre, I know. I love cold pasta with green pesto and pine nuts, but I find it too sickly if it's served hot.

 

[Ashley Packard]

That sounds amazing! I've actually never tried red pesto before, but I'm absolutely in love with green pesto so it's worth a try.