Bow Ties With Pesto Feta And Cherry Tomatoes Recipes

BOW TIE PASTA WITH PESTO, FETA & CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• For the pesto, place all ingredients with ½ cup of the oil in a blender and blend.
• Gradually drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup of oil until pesto is thick and smooth.
• This will make about 1 1/2 cups pesto.
• For the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Stir in the bow ties and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes.
• Drain the pasta and run it under cold water just until it stops steaming.
• Bounce the pasta around to get rid of as much water as you can.
• Dump the pasta into a large serving bowl.
• Stir in the pesto until the pasta is coated.
• Toss in the cherry tomatoes and the crumbled feta.
• Taste the salad and season it as you like with salt and pepper.
• You can make the salad up to about 1 hour before you serve it.
• If the salad looks a little dry, add some olive oil prior to serving.

BOW TIE PASTA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water before draining. Return the cooked pasta to the pot.
• While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion just begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the sausage, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to turn golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine the sun-dried tomatoes and the oil from the jar, red peppers, red pepper liquid, walnuts, parsley, Parmesan, vinegar, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper in a food processor and process until smooth.
• Add the sausage mixture and sun-dried tomato pesto to the pot with the pasta and stir until well combined, stirring in as much of the reserved pasta water as necessary to make a creamy sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and more Parmesan.