Tomato and Fresh Herb Rigatoni

Quick, easy, and delicious describes this Tomato and Fresh Herb Rigatoni! Use fresh cherry tomatoes, thyme and oregano leaves with fresh parsley to make this pasta extra special. The sauce is prepared by blistering the tomatoes in garlic and oil before tossing it with pesto. Perfect for a weeknight family dinner, this dish takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and you get to dig in and enjoy!

When preparing a recipe like this Tomato and Fresh Herb Rigatoni, you’ll want to use the freshest ingredients you can find.  I always err on the side of fresh is best when a recipe has very few ingredients. The flavours need to be bright and present.  Most local grocery stores will have fresh thyme, oregano, parsley and cherry tomatoes on hand at any time of the year.  And, if you’re lucky enough to have a little garden of your own, these ingredients are extremely easy to grow.

We always have fresh tomatoes on hand. McKenna and I love tomatoes, however, John.e doesn’t care for them that much. He will eat them cooked and sliced on a sandwich, but never on their own. I can make an entire meal out of sliced tomatoes, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and a little bit of olive oil! I garden in the summer months and always have an abundance of tomatoes of all varieties and fresh herbs too.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Pasta – Any short-shaped pasta will do. I used rigatoni, but you could use longer pasta too. Spaghetti would be perfect!
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper 
• Cherry Tomatoes – Any little tomato will do here such as grape tomatoes or mini heirlooms.
• Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves for the best result.
• Sun Dried Tomato Pesto – You can use my recipe and whip up a batch of your own. Or, you can use store-bought.
• Parmesan – As I have mentioned so many times before, freshly grated parmesan is best, but the stuff in the can will work here too.
• Herbs – Fresh herbs are certainly best here. I’m using fresh thyme leaves, fresh oregano, and chopped parsley. A great option would be fresh basil. I’m not a huge fan of fresh basil, so I opted for fresh oregano leaves instead.
• Dried Red Chili Flakes – I live my life around these it seems! They are, of course, completely optional.

HOW TO MAKE TOMATO AND FRESH HERB RIGATONI

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Drain well, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water, and set aside. While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, salt, and ground black pepper. (Add the dried red chilies now too if you wish.) Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the tomatoes pop open just slightly. Immediately stir in the sun-dried tomato pesto. Add some reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick.

Next, add the cooked, drained pasta to the skillet, along with the fresh herbs and the parmesan. Toss well with tongs to coat and cook just long enough to reheat the pasta – 2-3 minutes will do just fine. Plate and garnish with more parsley, grated parmesan, and chilies. Serve immediately.

SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO

If you’re like me, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto can be eaten right from the jar with a spoon!  Pre-making this super easy sauce will save you the hassle of having to go to the grocery store on your way home to pick up a jar, and you will not believe the difference in the taste!

I kid you not, there have been times when we’ve had six jars of store-bought Sun Dried Tomato Pesto sauce in our pantry – for two reasons.  The first reason, of course, is that we love that flavour.  And the second reason is that Lord Byron loves to stock up on pantry items when they’re on sale! You see, grabbing a jar of store-bought pesto, heating it through, and tossing it with some cooked pasta could not be easier on a weeknight, especially after a hard, busy day at work. But by doing it this way, you compromise on taste.

Taking a few minutes – yes, I said a few minutes – to make this pesto on the weekend, will find you much happier when you go to eat it.  It’s a million times better than the kind you buy in the store.  It’s fresh and simple, you get to control the amount of oil and salt. And, because you live life on the edge and you’re not afraid to push the boundaries, you can add whatever you’d like to your homemade pesto – try adding chili flakes for some heat, add capers if you like the extra saltiness, load up on extra basil or even throw in some oregano!  Be brave and fearless, Dear Reader!

COOKING PASTA

Let me talk to you a bit about how to get the pasta just right without overcooking it. Someone once told me that I prepare pasta like an old Italian grandma. That has stuck we me for so many years. You see, Dear Reader, I’m far from perfect, but cooking pasta is one thing I can certainly do perfectly. I don’t care what the back of the pasta package says, cook your pasta according to taste and texture. Ignore everything else. Here are my 4 steadfast rules:

Rule #1: Say no to oil!

Do you add oil to your pasta water before adding the pasta? Stop that right now! I don’t know who’s responsible for that, but I have seen some TV chefs do it! If you add oil to your pasta water, do you know what happens when you put the sauce on it? The sauce won’t stick as well as it should. It will slide off because the oil prevents it from sticking.

Rule #2: Add extra salt!

Salt the water. I used to be so afraid of salting pasta water because I thought it would be too salty to eat. Salting the water, before you add the pasta, is the only chance you get to season that pasta. Let the water come to a full boil before adding your salt. The water should taste like the ocean. Your version of this Tomato and Fresh Herb Rigatoni will thank you! Don’t dump the salt in; stir it in. Preventing the salt from settling at the bottom of your pot will keep your pot looking shiny and new. If you have pots with what looks like a tarnished or unpolished interior bottom, it’s because salt sits at the bottom of your pot.

Rule #3: Get that pasta moving about immediately!

Stir the pasta for a good minute when you first add it to the water. This helps to wash off some of the starch and prevents the pasta from sticking to the pot and to itself. I always pull out a piece of pasta 4 minutes before the package says it will be ready. Taste it. Chew it. It shouldn’t be completely soft. If it has a bit of bite left in the center, get it out of the water and drain it immediately. You can thank me later!

Rule #4: Do not rinse!

So many of us are tempted to rinse pasta under running water after it’s been drained. I think it comes from the notion that it gets rid of the starch. Well, it does in a way. But, when pasta begins to cool off and dry, it becomes a little sticky. That stickiness soaks up pasta sauce, so don’t flush it out! A quick drain is all you need. Get the pasta into a bowl or onto a plate. Get the sauce on it and serve it up. (That all applies to hot pasta dishes, but for a pasta salad, go ahead and rinse. Get all of that starch off!)

HOW TO REHEAT LEFTOVER PASTA

Reheating leftover pasta is always a risk because overcooked pasta can easily become gluey and not very satisfying to bite into. Whenever you are reheating pasta, the best way to combat a not-so-favourable texture is to add more fat. Here’s how I do it.

For this type of pasta, I would add a teaspoon of butter to a skillet along with one tablespoon of water. Over medium heat, allow the butter to melt. Once melted, add the leftover pasta to the skillet and place a lid on it. Wait for 2 minutes and then use tongs to toss the pasta, loosening it up and mixing that melted butter and water with the pasta and sauce. If it’s still too dry, add a little bit of olive oil and put the lid back on for another minute or two.

Toss again and continue to do this until the pasta is fully reheated and the sauce has transformed its way back to a glistening consistency. Plate, garnish, and get it into your belly!

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!