Toss festive bow tie pasta with a pleasing melange of sweet sun-dried tomatoes, savory sauteed mushrooms and nutty pesto for a colorful, hearty entree or side dish.
INGREDIENTS (for 8 servings):
- 4 tablespoons dried basil
- 1 tablespoon minced pine nuts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/8 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta
PREPARATION:
Make pesto: In a small mixing bowl, combine basil, pine nuts, and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
In a small bowl, blanch sun dried tomatoes for 30 seconds in boiling water. Drain well, and slice tomatoes into small pieces.
In a large skillet over a medium heat, saute garlic in 1/8 cup olive oil. Simmer for 1 minute being very careful not to brown the garlic. Stir in the mushrooms and let them saute until tender. Add the pesto, salt, cayenne, and sun dried tomatoes. Reduce heat to low and let the mixture simmer.
Bring a large pot of salted water and pasta to a boil. Let pasta cook until al dente, drain well.
In a large mixing bowl, toss pasta and sauce until the pasta is well coated.