Pesto Rigatoni with Fresh Mozzarella and Pepitas
Always up for a big bowl of rigatoni. Topped with delicious fresh mozzarella, broccoli, a store bought pesto sauce, and pumpkin seeds AKA pepitas.
How is your Autumn going so far? Or are you still in Summer mode? We were ready to get all the Fall feels and then the weather flipped and we were at 90° for two days straight and now we have a couple of days coming up that are also going to be in the mid-80s. So although I'd like to say that we are totally in Fall mode we are not because the weather has decided that it's not ready to turn over yet.
I am however ready to start making more comfort foods and this rigatoni is no exception. I don't think I ever tried fresh mozzarella until I was probably in my mid-30s and I have to say I can't believe it. Where have you been all of my life?
We used to serve fresh mozzarella primarily with tomatoes, olive oil and a little bit of salt but now that I'm a little older my body dictates that I not eat tomatoes as often so this is a really good compromise. There still oil, there's still salt, then you've got this crunch with the pepitas, and the fresh looking broccoli that gives it just a tiny bit of crunch. I try not to overcook it and let's not forget about the few little pieces of basil that really give this meal that little extra flavor that it craves.
You can easily make this the night before and serve for lunch the next day or for dinner the following day if need be. Might I say if you add a little bit of liquid to it and a little extra seasoning you could easily make this into a soup. i’m all about soup :)
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
1 (16-ounce) package rigatoni noodles
1/4 cup green pesto
1 head of broccoli head
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella torn into small bite sized pieces
1/2 cup roasted and salted pepitas
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain cooked pasta and place in a large bowl. Add pesto and stir to combine. Use pasta water to cook broccoli. Cook 4-5 minutes or until broccoli is a nice vibrant green. Do not overcook.
Add remaining ingredients along with cooked broccoli. Stir to combine and serve with a few pieces of fresh basil.
