Healthy Baked Pesto Rigatoni
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Rating
4.9 out of 5 stars
(33)
Ingredients
8-10 servings
- 1 lb. whole wheat rigatoni
- 2–3 cups chopped heirloom tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice (Asiago recommended)
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup kale
- 1 cup basil
- 3/4 cup almonds or pine nuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan or Asiago cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large cloves garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon (optional)
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Preparation
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to boil. While the water is boiling, chop up the tomatoes – cut the little ones in half. Add the pasta to the water and cook according to package directions.
Step 2
While the pasta is cooking, place all the pesto ingredients in the food processor until smooth. You may have to push the spinach down periodically to get everything moving. This may need to be done in two batches if the food processor is small. The result should be 2 heaping cups of pesto.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the cooked noodles with the chopped tomatoes, pesto, and enough water to make it a little saucy. Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle with the cheese. Cover loosely with well-oiled aluminum foil and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Step 4
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Chef's notes
Nutrition is for 10 servings.
