Balsamic Pesto Pasta With Tomatoes
This no-cook Balsamic Pesto Pasta will blow your socks off, believe me. Every time, I get surprised how a few ingredients combined together can yield such a delicious flavour combination.
This recipe is the perfect example of how our high quality artisan Belmorso products create magic, in a few simple steps.
Think of this pasta as the one you are going to want to make when you just have 30 minutes to throw dinner together. And it gets better..
Why not make the pesto in the morning before work, and then refrigerate it and just cook the pasta and top it, when you are ready to serve dinner??
You can also make the entire dish in the morning or evening, and enjoy it the next day as a cold linguine pasta salad.
It’s delicious both ways, but I must say I prefer it the next day!
Let’s make it. But before, let me answer a few related questions.
Does pesto have vinegar in it?
The classic basil pesto, or Pesto Genovese, doesn’t have any vinegar, neither regular nor balsamic. However, red pesto that uses sun dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, or both (like the one we are making today), can benefit from a burst of flavour if you use a high quality Balsamic Vinegar of Modena like Belmorso IGP Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.
How can I enhance my pesto flavour?
Try drizzling some Balsamic Vinegar of Modena on it, but make sure it’s a high quality one!
Of course, don’t do that with our turnip tops pesto. That latter contains anchovies, and those flavours don’t pair well with balsamic. Of course, feel free to try it, and let us know how you like it.
What is tomato pesto made of?
Tomatoes are the main ingredients. Basil is another important ingredient, and so are nuts like pinoli or almonds. You of course need extra virgin olive oil to make tomato pesto, and any other pesto recipes. Balsamic vinegars of Modena is a great addition if you want a pesto that has a bold but elegant flavour.
Garlic and grated cheese are other optional ingredients.
How to use dried sun-dried tomatoes?
Sun dried tomatoes are not only a super flavourful Italian ingredient, but also a very versatile one. You can enjoy them on their own, as a side or a snack, or use them to fill your sandwiches and top your salads and pasta.
However, don’t be afraid to experiment with them. Add them to a blender with a few classic Italian ingredients, which is what we did in this recipe, and you’ll quickly make a mean pesto.
Of course, you can also combine them with more modern or new combinations, and see what happens.
Is pesto better with penne or spaghetti?
The classic pesto is obviously served with trofie, both ingredients are from the region of Liguria. However, penne. farfalle and spaghetti are other common choices of pasta shapes for pesto.
I think, the best shape comes down to personal preference and also the type of pesto. Choose whichever you like and have in your pantry, but if you want the least messy (especially with kids), opt for penne.
For our balsamic pesto pasta, we are choosing a slightly thicker option than spaghetti – linguine.
We are using our Artisan Linguine.
Summer Linguine Pasta Salad: Balsamic Pesto Pasta
There’ s really not much else I can tell you about this pasta, other than you really have to try it. It surprised me so much, that it’s going to be my Summer pasta of choice. And I thought I would never say that for a long pasta, but this pasta tastes even better the next day, right out of the fridge. So if you wanted a new pasta salad for picnics or beach days, it doesn’t get better than this quick, easy and delicious balsamic pesto pasta.
Of course, it’s also very tasty when served warm.
Balsamic Pesto Pasta With Tomatoes
Equipment
- 1 chopping board
- 1 chopping knife
- 1 tablespoon
- 1 fork
- 1 blender or food processor
- 1 pasta ladle
- 1 cheese grater
Ingredients
- 30 cherry tomatoes
- 15 Sun Dried Tomatoes - Taste with Gusto
- 50 gr roasted almonds
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- 4 tbsp Belmorso Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 lt or drizzle generously
- 2 tbsp Belmorso IGP Balsamic Vinegar of Modena or drizzle generously
- 400 gr Linguine pasta
- pecorino cheese enough to grate on top
Instructions
- Wash and cut the cherry tomatoes in half. If your food processor is strong enough, you can add them whole.
- Boil the water for the pasta with plenty of good quality salt. We are using a Sicilian salt.
- Add the chopped or whole cherry tomatoes, the sundried tomatoes, the almonds, and the basil all together in your blender or food processor.
- Then add the Belmorso EVOO & New Balsamic IGP.
- Blitz shortly if you want to keep a chunky rustic texture, or longer if you'd like a smooth balsamic pesto.
- Add the linguine pasta to cook.
- Once cooked, drain, and mix with the balsamic pesto you made earlier. You can keep some cooking water just in case, but we had plenty of pesto to coat the pasta, so I didn't add any pasta water.
- Mix well and serve with a generous grating of pecorino cheese.PS: Don't substitute Pecorino for Parmesan, as it's this cheese that really elevates this dish. If you can't find pecorino, use Romano cheese.
Notes
Explore These Similar Recipes
If you are here because you love cooking with Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, we have a full list of Balsamic Recipes here.
If on the other hand, you’d like more unique pesto recipes, check out these two:
Orecchiette Pasta with Turnip Tops Pesto
And if you happen to adore the sun dried tomatoes and basil combination, try this great appetizer – Croissants or Cornetti for your Aperitivo. They are stuffed with both!
