Name: Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pint cherry tomatoes; 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 1 tablespoon water; 12 ounces fusilli pasta (gluten free, if necessary); 2 cups loosely packed basil**; 1/4 cup sunflower seeds; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1 clove garlic; 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast; 1/4 cup water; 1/8 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

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Pesto pasta with roasted tomatoes is a delicious summertime meal that comes together quickly. Featuring fresh basil and cherry tomatoes, this pasta showcases some of summer's best produce. Add this pesto pasta to your menu for an easy weeknight meal.

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So, I guess I am going a little pesto crazy right now.

But what screams summer more than fresh basil? Trick question.

Tomatoes scream summer just as much as basil.

So I put them together in this divine medley of basil, tomato, lemon, and pasta. Just for you.

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Ingredients
How to Make Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
How to Roast Tomatoes Without Oil
Substitutions in Pesto Pasta
Can This Be Eaten as a Cold Pasta Salad?
More Vegan Main Dishes
Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
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Ingredients

You will need these simple ingredients to make tomato pesto pasta:

Cherry tomatoes
Garlic
Balsamic vinegar
Fusilli pasta
Nut-free vegan pesto or vegan arugula pesto

Please refer to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and detailed instructions.

How to Make Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

This pesto pasta recipe is nut free, oil free, gluten free and vegan, so this meal can truly satisfy any person in your life. This meal comes to together in less than 30 minutes, so you can have dinner on the table in no time.

First, roast your tomatoes in a 400F oven.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water, drain and put pasta back in pan.
While the tomatoes are roasting and pasta is boiling, make your pesto. Add ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Toss the pasta with the pesto and reheat if necessary. Top with roasted tomatoes and sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

How to Roast Tomatoes Without Oil

Roasting anything without oil felt perplexing to me when I first started cooking this way. But after learning a few simple tricks, I've discovered its not hard at all. The key is to keep whatever you're cooking moist so it doesn't dry out. I do this by tossing whatever I'm making with water, broth, or in this case balsamic vinegar.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking dish or sheet pan with parchment paper. Add cherry tomatoes and minced garlic to pan and then drizzle with balsamic vinegar and water. Toss to combine. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Roast until the tomatoes start to blister and shrivel. And, you're done.

Substitutions in Pesto Pasta

Use store bought pesto. Just be aware that many store-bough pestos contain parmesan cheese. So, read the ingredients first if this is a concern for you.
Use any nut or seed in place of the sunflower seeds in the pesto.
Try using different herbs or greens in place of some or all of the basil in the pesto.
Use any shape pasta in place of the fusilli pasta.
Use rice, quinoa or any other gluten free grain in place of the pasta.

Can This Be Eaten as a Cold Pasta Salad?

I am glad you asked! This recipe also makes a great cold pasta salad. After draining the pasta, run under cold water and then proceed with the rest of the recipe. This will keep in the fridge for a couple days, although the pesto will start to discolor and brown after the first day.