Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Asparagus
A quick and easy dish for those busy weeknights, and it is chockfull of veggies!
Pesto is seriously one of my favorite things ever. It is so easy to make, it’s incredibly versatile, and it pretty much tastes amazing in and on anything and everything.
Like for this pasta dish here, I tossed the pesto in some simple ingredients like sun dried tomatoes, roasted asparagus and mozzarella cubes, finishing it off with a fried egg, and it was seriously one of the best weeknight meals ever!
It’s so simple and easy to whip up, and my most favorite thing about it is that some of the pesto gets stuck in the crevices of the shell pasta.
AH-MAZING, right?
Plus, this tastes just as good, if not better, as work leftovers since the mozzarella cubes gets all melted/ooey-gooey in between the pasta.
Pesto Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Roasted Asparagus
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium shell pasta
- 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup basil pesto
- ⅓ cup julienned sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained
- ⅓ cup diced mozzarella cubes
- Fried egg, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Place asparagus in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, to taste; gently toss to combine. Place into oven and roast for 8-12 minutes, or until tender but crisp. Let cool before cutting into 1-inch pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine pasta, asparagus, pesto, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella.
- Serve immediately with a fried egg, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Just tried this recipe tonight – FANTASTIC and my new go-to for a quick meal or easy entertaining. The recipe is wonderful as is, but I added some sautéed spinach and fresh lemon to give it a little tart, spring flavor. I am lactose intolerant so I forewent the cheese, but added freshly shaved parmesan to my boyfriend’s and he was in heaven. Thinking of adding roasted red peppers next time, now that they are in season. Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful – Thank you!
I just made this for lunch today, and it was FANTASTIC!!! I had some store-bought pesto to use up, but next time I’m going to try making my own. I also used shredded low-skim mozzarella cheese (because I already had some open), and it turned out great. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe–I am going to be making it for years to come!! 🙂
Made this tonight…yum! Only one addition, a touch of red pepper flakes
Made it tonight. It was so delicious. It was exactly like a wonderful dish I had in Rome. Perfection. Great job.
this was very tasty. I used baby Swiss instead of mozzarella and it was fantastic. thank you for a yummy treat!
This looks delish! Is this something that can be made ahead and kept in the frig? If so, how long before? I was thinking of doubling the recipe and bringing it to a potluck.
You can certainly try to make this ahead of time but I do not recommend it. This dish is best when served immediately.
Im making this and was wondering what does the egg do. Ive never seen putting an egg on top of pasta before.
A fried egg can be added to many savory dishes such as burgers and pastas. The runny yolk provides an amazing flavor combination, and personally, if I could, I’d add a fried egg on top of everything!
Let’s not forget chiliquiles! I am a huge fan of your recipes, thank you and keep them coming!!!
We made this tonight, subbing in Trader Joe’s brown rice pasta and it was amazing! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I used this as a base recipe but added some cubed chicken, skipped the mozzarella and sauteed the asparagus in the pan from the chicken. No egg since I had chicken for protein – oh added some roasted pine nuts. It was good & different. I will try again with the egg. Sounds like an interesting twist. Lots of possibilities with this recipe! Thank you!
Pingback: My Running “Diet” | Sister to Sister Running Blog
Pingback: Happy Galentine’s Day! | Get In My Belly
Just made this tonight. It was so ridiculously delicious. It’s definitely going in my personal recipe book!
This was delicious! I used buffalo mozzarella instead of regular mozzarella, and it turned out great– especially with the fried egg on top. I plan to try this as a cold pasta salad too and just blanching the asparagus instead of roasting it. Thanks for the great recipe!
This looks amazing! Just a quick question. Even though I love asparagus, I happen to have some yummy crispy green beans on hand. Think that’ll be as tasty?
This looks absolutely delicious. Thank you for taking the time to share : ).
This looks amazing. I have some store bought pesto which I’m pretty crazy about. Hoping that tastes as good as this looks. Quick question, does the cheese melt at all or do I need to warm dish in any way to get that to happen? Or is it not supposed to melt? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this.
Vero, this is really based on personal preference. I personally like to keep the mozzarella cubed, and I love how it melts just a little bit from the heat of the pasta.
I can wait to try it. How many calories?
Please use online resources such as Calorie Count to obtain nutritional information.
Yum
Is this better served warm or cold?
I prefer to serve it warm.
Great Recipe looks really good, but how did you make the pesto?
Click on the “basil pesto” link – it will lead you my basil pesto recipe.
Looks delicious thanks for sharing your dish.
This was great. I fit my limited carb quota just fine. Thank you for making it so delightful to eat healthy
Great lunchtime meal for friends. Very tasty and simple. Thankyou
Totally! Thank you 🙂