Difficulty VERY EASY

Preparation Time 10 minutes

Cooking Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Pasta with Arugula Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes

Ricette vegetariane

CLASSIC

Ricette dietetiche / Detox

Ricette light

Ricette senza glutine

Tipo di cucina: Italian, Mediterranean

Presentation

The rocket pesto and cherry tomato pasta is a creamy, fresh, and quick first course, ready in about 20 minutes. The pesto is prepared with rocket, almonds, Fresh Sheep Ricotta and Pecorino Romano PDO, to obtain a balanced-tasting and enveloping condiment.

The cherry tomatoes sautéed in a pan with rosemary and lemon zest add sweetness, aroma, and color. The recipe is excellent hot, but can also be enjoyed cold and prepared for lunch away from home.

The protagonist of this recipe: Fresh Sheep Ricotta

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Ingredients

2 people

Spaghetti 160 g
Arugula 100 g
Fresh Sheep's Milk Ricotta 100 g
Pecorino Romano DOP 60 g
Cherry tomatoes 150 g
Peeled almonds 40 g
Extra virgin olive oil 60 ml
Garlic 1 clove
Organic lemon 1, the peel
Minced rosemary 1 tablespoon
Coarse salt 1 pinch
It comes out fine q.b.
Flaked almonds as needed
Cooking water as needed

Calories per Serving

890 Kcal

Method

Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, add the cherry tomatoes, a pinch of salt, chopped rosemary, and part of the grated lemon zest. Cook them over high heat for about 8–10 minutes, stirring gently, until they are soft and lightly roasted.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the time indicated on the package.

Prepare the pesto. Pound the clove of garlic in a mortar with a pinch of coarse salt, or blend it with a food processor. Add the peeled and chopped almonds as well.

Add the rocket, 50 g of Pecorino Romano PDO and the extra virgin olive oil, poured little by little. Work the ingredients until a creamy and smooth pesto is obtained. If necessary, add one or two tablespoons of pasta cooking water.

Now pour the rocket pesto obtained into a dish and add fresh Sheep's Ricotta to make it even creamier.

Drain the spaghetti al dente, reserving some of their water, and dress them away from the heat with the rocket and ricotta pesto. Mix thoroughly and add a little cooking water at a time, until you achieve the desired creaminess.

Plate the spaghetti and finish with the cherry tomatoes, the flaked almonds, the remaining 10 g of Pecorino Romano DOP and more grated lemon zest. Serve immediately or let the pasta cool and enjoy it cold.

Consigli e Conservazione

TIPS

To obtain a creamy pesto with a balanced flavor, add the oil gradually and process the ingredients only for the necessary time.

Always save some of the cooking water: the starch contained within helps to emulsify the pesto with the pasta and makes the sauce more enveloping.

For a more delicate taste, you can replace a portion of the arugula with the same amount of fresh basil.

If you use a food processor, blend in short pulses to avoid overheating the arugula, which could darken and become more bitter.

For a crunchy note, toast the flaked almonds for a few minutes in a dry pan before adding them.

To prepare the cherry tomatoes in the oven, season them and cook them in a static oven at 180 °C for about 20–25 minutes or in a fan-assisted oven at 170 °C for about 15–20 minutes. In this case, the total recipe time will be longer.

STORAGE

Pasta already dressed can be stored in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for one day. Before serving, add a drizzle of oil and mix thoroughly.

Arugula and ricotta pesto can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator, covered with cling film or sealed in an airtight container, for a maximum of 1–2 days.

Cooked cherry tomatoes can be stored separately in the refrigerator, in a sealed container, for 2–3 days.

It is not recommended to freeze already dressed pasta. The pesto can be frozen without ricotta and stored for about a month. The ricotta should be added after thawing.

How can I make creamy rocket pesto that is not bitter?

Use fresh rocket, blend it only briefly and add fresh sheep’s milk ricotta. Almonds also help balance the naturally peppery and slightly bitter flavour of rocket.

Can rocket pesto pasta be prepared in advance?

Yes. You can prepare it in advance and serve it cold. Store it in the refrigerator for no longer than one day and add a little olive oil before serving.

How can I prevent rocket pesto from turning dark?

Blend the rocket in short pulses, use cold ingredients and immediately cover the pesto with cling film or a thin layer of oil. Do not heat it directly in the pan.

Can I replace the almonds in the pesto?

Yes. You can replace them with pine nuts, walnuts, cashews or hazelnuts. For a nut-free version, omit them and add a little more ricotta.

Can I cook the cherry tomatoes in a conventional or fan-assisted oven?

Yes. Cook them at 180°C in a conventional oven for 20–25 minutes or at 170°C in a fan-assisted oven for approximately 15–20 minutes.

Which pasta shape is best for rocket pesto?

Spaghetti, linguine, fusilli, casarecce and mezze maniche work particularly well. Rough or spiral-shaped pasta holds the creamy sauce more effectively.

Can this pasta be made without garlic?

Yes. You can omit the garlic or replace it with a little extra lemon zest to keep the pesto fresh and aromatic.

Is rocket pesto pasta also good served cold?

Yes. It works well as a cold pasta dish. Allow it to cool after dressing, store it in the refrigerator and add a little olive oil before serving.

Recipe by : mammachepiatti

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