Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

Hello, friends! I’m spending the better part of this week cleaning out our future house (so excited! gah!), so the meals are going to be quick, easy and (cough) not all homemade. But tonight’s recipe was, in fact, made from scratch by my mama — and it was oh so delicious. It was the perfect way to cap off a looooong two days of serious deep-cleaning of floors, walls, cabinets and carpets. It would be so so good with my pesto pull apart bread! Along with some ice cream for dessert, of course. Happy Monday! Penne with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Courtesy of Food Network Yields: 4 servings Ingredients: 12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta 1 8.5-ounce jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil 2 garlic cloves salt and pepper 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves 1/2 cup fresh-grated Parmesan cheese Directions: In a large pot filled with boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente (or with a little bite). Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Meanwhile, make the pesto: In a food processor, blend sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper to taste and basil leaves until tomatoes are finely chopped. Stir together pesto and pasta in a large bowl. Stir in Parmesan cheese. Add enough reserved pasta water to moisten the noodles. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.