Pesto Pasta Bake
This pesto pasta bake comes together in just 20 minutes using fresh summertime ingredients from the garden along with plenty of pasta and cheese. It will quickly become your family’s go-to dinner when you want something, simple, quick, and easy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top + Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for tossing pasta
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 small yellow squash, sliced 1/3″ thick or so
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 12 oz. rotini pasta, cooked al dente
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella
- fresh parsley or basil for garnish
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Toss in olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium low heat.
- Add garlic and oregano along with a couple pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently.
- Add squash along with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes.
- Add pesto, heavy cream, and al dente pasta. Stir to combine.
- Top with halved tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Then broil for 1-2 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and enjoy!
Notes
In this recipe, I found that 12 oz. of pasta was perfect for the amount of pesto and veggies we used. So what are you supposed to do with the other 4 oz. of pasta that’s left? I like to cook all 16 oz. of pasta and then reserve about 1/4 of the noodles for a quick and easy lunch/dinner for my daughter. I can add spaghetti sauce or just leave them plain, tossed in oil and seasoned with salt and pepper. If you want the meal to go further, you can include all 16 oz. of pasta in the pasta bake and just add a bit more pesto and heavy cream! Or, look for a box of pasta that is 12 oz.
You can use any veggies you like in this dish. We have been getting tons of squash from our CSA so that’s what we used. Other veggies that would work well in this pasta include zucchini, spinach, broccoli, eggplant, and asparagus. Also, you can add extra veggies to bulk it up too!
You can use whatever kind of cheese you’d like in this recipe. I love fresh mozzarella and will pretty much try to add it to everything we eat. It’s so ooey and gooey with a mild flavor and stretchy texture. It’s a great neutral cheese but other cheeses that would taste great include goat cheese, Gruyere, shredded mozzarella, Fontina, or Muenster.
When you saute the squash in this recipe, you aren’t trying to cook it all the way through. You’re just looking for a bit of a sear so that you can really start to bring out the flavors. The squash will finish cooking as it bakes with the pasta in the oven. It’s very easy to overcook squash so it’s important to remember this while you’re sauteing.
Find it online: https://midwestfoodieblog.com/pesto-pasta-bake/
