Sunday, April 15, 2012

Rigatoni with Brie, Grape Tomatoes, Olives, and Basil


I had a bunch of brie cheese leftover from this meal, so I hopped onto epicurious.com and typed in "brie" to see what I could see. This meal looked fantastic, so I gave it a shot and looooved it. I love me some pasta.

And, by the way, I've noticed that recipes have longer names of late. Get a load of this one! It's huge!!! Why, back in my day, it would have been called something like Tomato Rigatoni, or something. And we would have eaten it while we walked uphill both ways, through snow, for five miles each way, to and from school...

Rigatoni with Brie, Grape Tomatoes, Olives, and Basil
  • 1 (12-ounce) wedge Brie, rind removed, cheese cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
  • 1 (12-ounce) package grape or cherry tomatoes, each halved
  • 1/2 cup quartered pitted Kalamata olives
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon (generous) dried crushed red pepper
  • 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped, plus sprigs for garnish
  • 3/4 pound rigatoni

Off heat, place cheese, tomatoes, olives, garlic, and crushed red pepper in large skillet. Stir, separating cheese pieces. Mix in chopped basil.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid.

Add hot pasta and 1/4 cup reserved pasta liquid to skillet with cheese mixture. Place over medium heat and toss until cheese is partially melted and sauce coats pasta, adding more reserved pasta liquid by tablespoonfuls if dry, about 5 minutes. Season pasta to taste with salt. Transfer to large shallow bowl. Garnish with basil sprigs and serve.

No comments:

Post a Comment