Some nights you really don’t feel like cooking, but you still want to eat fresh healthy food. That’s where a recipe like this cheat’s pesto pasta comes in handy. It only takes 15 minutes to throw together – quicker than picking up takeaway! And oh my, it is GOOD.
The angel hair pasta is so delicately textured, it’s like angels are singing in your mouth. I was surprised how much difference it made to the dish rather than using the thicker spaghetti.
I’m also in love with the little roasted cherry tomatoes. I’ve never been the hugest fan of cooked tomato, but this dish has completely changed my mind. I don’t know if it’s the roasting process, the balsamic drizzle or just using teensy little delicious tomatoes to begin with, but these soft sweet bursts of flavour made my tastebuds dance and left me wanting to add blistered cherry tomatoes to every weekend brunch I create now and forevermore.
Let’s take a second to chat about the marinated feta. I used Meredith’s Dairy goat’s feta, which is to. die. for. If you don’t have it available, I feel sorry for you. But just use some other sort of feta. It will still be good. Just not as good as mine. (Te he.)
This recipe comes from HelloFresh, my newest food and life crush – it’s the gift to myself that just keeps on giving. If you want to know more about HelloFresh and find out how I feed my family of five without menu planning or grocery shopping, check out this post. I have a discount just for you at the end of the post. (Australian and U.S. readers only.)
Ingredients
- 2 punnets Cherry tomatoes
- 400g (14 oz) Angel hair pasta
- 1 bag Baby spinach leaves
- 4 tbs Basil pesto
- 200g (7 oz) Marinated goat feta
- 1 tbs Olive oil
- 2 tbs Balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350℉). Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil.
- Place the cherry tomatoes on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle them with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, or until slightly blistered.
- Add the angel hair pasta to the saucepan and cook for 4 minutes, or until "al dente". (Note: Make sure you add the correct amount of pasta - not quite a whole pack - in order for the dish to be balanced just right.) Reserve 2 tbs of the cooking water. Drain the remaining water and return the pasta to the saucepan. Drizzle with a dash of olive oil and the reserved water, and toss.
- Add the baby spinach leaves to the saucepan and stir until wilted. Add the basil pesto and crumble 1/2 the marinated goat feta over the pasta. Add the cherry tomatoes and toss gently to combine.
- Serve the pasta with the remaining feta crumbled over the top.
Like this recipe? Then you’ll love HelloFresh. Read my complete review here!
Enjoy, friends!