Rigatoni with Ricotta & Kale Basil Pesto

Rigatoni with Ricotta & Kale Basil Pesto

Dennis Prescott, (our June Pasta Spotlight) was nice enough to share this delicious pasta recipe with us. This dish brings together some of our favorite summertime ingredients and is on the table in minutes. Serve it the next time you’re entertaining guests, or for an easy weeknight meal.

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Rigatoni with Ricotta & Kale Basil Pesto

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 512 kcal

Ingredients

For the pesto:

• 2 cups kale leaves packed
• 1 cup basil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

To assemble:

• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta
• 4 teaspoons chili flakes separated
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. In the base of a food processor, combine your kale, basil, and sea salt, and pulse until finely chopped, scrapping down the sides if necessary. With the motor running on low, drizzle in your olive oil. Add your garlic and pine nuts, and pulse again. Add the cheese and rock it out a third time. Scrap into a bowl and set aside.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook your pasta according to the package instructions (al dente please). Drain, reserving a small bit of cooking liquid.
3. Toss the cooking pasta with your 1 cup of your pesto (or more, depending on your pesto love), and 2 tablespoons of reserved cooking liquid.
4. Serve up into six plates and top each with 2 1/2 TBSP of pesto, 1 teaspoon of chili flakes, a sprinkle of parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy!