Rigatoni with Artichokes and Basil Pesto
Rigatoni with roasted artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, bocconcini, 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.
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