Rigatoni with Basil Pesto
Rigatoni tubes trap pockets of walnut basil pesto while halved cherry tomatoes add sweetness and a burst of color to every forkful.
Rigatoni holds sauce differently than a long noodle, catching pesto both inside the tube and along the ridges outside, so every bite gets a fair share. Walnuts stand in for the usual pine nuts here, giving the pesto a slightly deeper, earthier flavor. Halved cherry tomatoes tossed in raw at the end keep the dish tasting fresh rather than heavy.
Ingredients
Method
Tap a number to mark a step doneBring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni until al dente, reserving a cup of the cooking water before draining.
While the pasta cooks, pulse the basil, toasted walnuts, and garlic in a food processor with a splash of cold water until finely chopped.
With the processor running, stream in the olive oil until smooth, then pulse in the parmesan, salt, and pepper to finish the pesto.
Toss the drained rigatoni with the pesto in a large bowl, loosening with reserved pasta water until the sauce coats the tubes evenly.
Fold in the halved cherry tomatoes gently so they stay mostly raw and juicy, then divide among plates.
Finish each plate with an extra grating of parmesan cheese and a generous crack of black pepper right before serving it warm.
Kitchen note
Add the cherry tomatoes only at the very end off the heat, since cooking them too long turns them mushy and washes out their sweetness.
