Tasty Tuesday: Creamy Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

I'm not exaggerating at all when I say that today's recipe is one of our favorites.

That's saying a lot, considering it's:

1.  A pasta dish (I can never have enough pasta.  Eric, on the other hand, typically prefers rice or potatoes to pasta.)

2.  Vegetarian (It's not truly vegetarian because it uses chicken broth, but you could easily swap vegetable broth for the chicken broth to make it vegetarian.  I like meat, but I like to have meat free meals once in a while.  Eric also likes meatless meals, but would choose a meat-based meal probably 9 times out of 10.)

This is a ridiculously delicious and addictive meal.

I've made this several times since we started living together back in 2011, even making it once when my mom flew in to stay with us a couple of years ago.  It's always a big hit, and even writing about it now makes me crave it.

This is one of those recipes that was perfect as is.  I usually at least make a few slight adjustments, but I've been making this as written since I first tried it, and there was honestly nothing I could improve.  If you don't believe me, try it for yourself.  (Or even if you do believe me, try it for yourself.  You will thank me later ... Though your waistline may not.)

Creamy Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta

A recipe from Cassie Craves.

Ingredient List:

• 1 box rigatoni
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp low fat margarine or butter (I always use low fat margarine)
• 3 cloves garlic (or, if you're lazy like me, the equivalent of jarred, pre-minced garlic)
• 1 cup pesto
• 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, cubed
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

So simple yet so good.

Instructions:

1.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

3.  In a medium bowl, toss the grape tomatoes with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

4.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and pour the tomato mixture on it.  Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for about 10 minutes.  (The tomatoes will begin to burst when they're ready.)

5.  Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the garlic, cooking over medium heat for 1 minute.

6.  Add pesto to the skillet and mix well.

7.  Stir in the cream cheese until it's completely smooth and melted.

8.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese and chicken broth, adding sea salt and black pepper to taste.  Allow the sauce to simmer over low heat.

9.  While the sauce is simmering, add the rigatoni to the boiling water.  Cook according to package directions until al dente and drain.

10.  Add the drained pasta to the skillet, and toss with the sauce until coated evenly.

11.  Remove the tomatoes from the oven and add them to the pasta and sauce, stirring a couple of times until everything is mixed together.

We usually have a simple green salad with this, but we were out of both lettuce and spinach the last time I made it, so we opted for asparagus.  It wasn't a bad side dish, but it doesn't necessarily "belong" with this meal.  Something that does belong with this meal?  Wine.  (Especially my favorite, Reisling.)