Rigatoni with Artichokes and Basil Pesto
Rigatoni with Artichokes and Basil Pesto is a meatless pasta dish that is full of flavor. Along with the artichokes and pesto, the rigatoni is tossed with roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, and bocconcini mozzarella. To make life easier, this recipe uses frozen artichoke hearts, and they don’t even need to be defrosted. I find it super convenient to keep the frozen artichokes in my freezer, so that I always have some on hand. Similarly, I like to keep peeled garlic cloves, the sun dried tomatoes, roasted and sliced peppers, and the pine nuts for the pesto all in my freezer.
The Equipment You’ll Need
- A Food Processor- You will need a food processor to make the pesto.
- A Dutch Oven- I use this for roasting my artichokes.
The Ingredients You’ll Need for Rigatoni with Artichokes and Basil Pesto
- Basil- For great pesto, you’ll need super fresh basil. I like to buy the basil that comes in bags with soil and roots attached.
- Pine Nuts- I like to keep these in the freezer.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes- These also keep really well in the freezer.
- Bocconcini- Instead of these small mozzarella balls, you could also use a chopped fresh mozzarella ball.
How I Made This Pesto Pasta Dish
- First, I roasted the peppers and the artichokes.
- Next, I made my pesto. I processed all the ingredients in my food processor.
- Then, I boiled the rigatoni. I made sure I salted the pasta water well.
- Finally, I tossed all the ingredients together in a large skillet. After everything was combined, I sprinkled each portion with Parmesan cheese.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’m always excited when I can find a meatless meal that satisfies the whole family. I served this with some roasted cauliflower, and we honestly didn’t miss the meat. So, if you’re looking for a light and refreshing pasta dinner, I hope you’ll try this Rigatoni with Artichokes and Basil Pesto.
Rigatoni with Artichokes and Basil Pesto
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 10 ounces frozen artichoke hearts
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves sliced garlic
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 red bell peppers
- 12 ounces rigatoni
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup bocconcini mozzarella balls
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
For the Pesto:
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 2 tbsp. pine nuts
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
- Begin by roasting the artichokes and peppers: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peppers on a baking sheet and bake for one hour. Put the frozen artichokes in a Dutch oven along with the oil, garlic, the thyme, lemon juice, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Cover and bake for one hour.
- Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water. Also, make the pesto: In a food processor, place the basil, the garlic, the pine nuts, the Parmesan cheese, and the salt and pepper. Pulse until everything is ground up. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil.
- Remove the peppers from the oven when they're done. Peel them, and remove the seeds. Then, chop them in half inch pieces.
- In a large skillet, on medium heat, add the cooked artichokes ( remove the bay leaf and thyme), the chopped pepper, the sun dried tomatoes, and the pasta. Then, stir in the pesto until everything is combined. Remove from the heat, stir in the bocconcini and serve with the Parmesan.
