Ingredients & Directions

½ pint grape tomatoes, halved
6 ounces fresh bite-sized mozzarella cheese
     (bocconcini)
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste
½ tablespoon olive oil
½ pound campanelle pasta
 
Pesto:
3-4 garlic cloves
½ cup pine nuts
½ cup walnuts
3 cups loosely packed fresh basil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
6 tablespoons Asiago cheese, grated
1 cup olive oil
 
Combine tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, salt pepper and olive oil; let stand for 30 minutes. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain.
 
For pesto, mince garlic in a food processor. Add pine nuts, walnuts, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and process until well mixed. Add Parmesan and Asiago cheeses and process until smooth. With the food processor running, slowly add 1 cup olive oil and process until smooth. Toss tomato mixture with pasta and ¾ cup basil pesto. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
 
Pesto recipe makes 2¼ cups of sauce. Leftover pesto can be refrigerated up to one week or frozen up to three months.
Yields: 6 servings.
 
Recipe adapted from Colorado Classique