Baked Pesto Pasta Recipe

Prep & Cook Time: 40-50 min.

Cook Within: 7 days

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Spice Level: Not Spicy

Baked Pesto Pasta with eggplant and sun-dried tomatoes

Contains: Milk, Eggs, Wheat, Tree Nuts

We've really done it this time. If this dish were only little corkscrews of pasta tangled up with sun-dried tomatoes and roasted eggplant, it would be delicious. If we added to that a creamy basil pesto sauce, it would be sublime. But when we go a step further and bake it to golden-brown perfection with mozzarella, well, the results are hard to put into words. But what isn't hard is to put it in your belly.

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In Your Box (serves 2)

8 oz. Fusilli
1 oz. Julienned Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1 Eggplant
2 Garlic Cloves
6 fl. oz. Chef's Heavy Cream
3 Tbsp. Basil Pesto
3 oz. Shredded Mozzarella

Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
955
Carbohydrates
88g
Fat
56g
Protein
31g
Sodium
582mg

Recipe Steps

You Will Need

Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Spray

1 Medium Pot
1 Medium Oven-Safe Casserole Dish
1 Colander
1 Small Bowl
1 Large Non-Stick Pan
1 Baking Sheet

Before You Cook

Thoroughly rinse produce and pat dry
Bring a medium pot of lightly salted water to a boil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Prepare a casserole dish with cooking spray
Place a colander in the sink

1

Cook the Pasta

Scoop out ½ cup boiling water into a small bowl and reserve for next step. Place fusilli into boiling water and cook 9 minutes. Drain in colander and return to pot. Pasta will not be fully tender, but will finish cooking in a later step.
2

Prepare the Ingredients

Add sun-dried tomatoes to small bowl with boiled water, cover with plastic wrap or foil, and rehydrate at least 5 minutes. Trim ends off eggplant and cut into ½" dice. Mince garlic.
3

Cook the Eggplant

Place a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Working in two batches if necessary, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil and eggplant to hot pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5-6 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender. Remove from heat. To pot with fusilli, add eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes and steeping liquid, cream, garlic, and pesto. Stir to combine and season with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. pepper.
4

Bake the Pasta

Transfer pasta to prepared casserole dish and top with shredded mozzarella. Put casserole dish on top of baking sheet and bake 15-18 minutes, or until pasta is hot and cheese is golden brown.
5

Plate the Dish

Serve family style and dig in!