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Hooray for spring! The weather may be warming up, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give up my beloved pasta! However, I can at least lighten up my weekly pasta a bit. My favorite way to add a little spring to my pasta? Pesto, like in this recipe for Roasted Tomato Pesto Pasta!
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Pairing fresh ingredients with pasta can really lighten up a comfort food favorite like pasta. I added in some slow roasted cherry tomatoes to add a bit of tomatoey goodness to the dish.
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Barilla has a few Better for You Pasta’s to make lightening up you pasta dish even easier. I picked up a box of Barilla ProteinPLUS Rotini Pasta from Walmart; other options available at Walmart include Whole Grain Pasta, Veggie Pasta and Gluten Free Pasta.
Note: there is a great Ibotta offer right now for Buy any 3 select varieties of Barilla Products and earn $1.00 at Walmart! Details can be found at the link above.
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Barilla ProteinPLUS has 17g of protein from all-natural vegetarian ingredients, so it’s a great way to add more protein to your pasta meals without adding meat or seafood.
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Ingredients:
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ground pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
- 1 box of Barilla ProteinPLUS Rotini (or Spaghetti)
- shaved Parmesan, for garnish
To make the roasted tomatoes, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Halve all of your tomatoes and add to a jelly roll pan. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with the garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
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Add to the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are browned.
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While waiting for the tomatoes to roast, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
While waiting for the water to boil, make your pesto. Toast the pine nuts over medium heat for a few minutes or until fragrant. Add to a food processor with the basil and garlic and process until finely chopped.
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While the processor is running, add the olive oil through the chute until the mixture is well combined.
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Season with salt and pepper and add in the pecorino cheese. Process until fully combined.
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When the water is boiling, season with salt and add in the rotini.
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Cook for 10-11 minutes and drain. Add to a bowl and mix in 1/2 of the pesto mixture. If you’d like to add more, feel free.
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Top with the roasted tomatoes and shaved Parmesan cheese. Serve with the leftover pesto, so that you can top your pasta with additional pesto.
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The pesto makes this pasta recipe so bright and springy. I love the bright green color with the pretty tomatoes!
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The roasted tomatoes add some sweetness to the dish, balancing out the pesto flavor.
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The ProteinPLUS pasta is nice and filling too! How would you lighten up a pasta dish for spring?
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Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ground pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese
- 1 box of Barilla ProteinPLUS Rotini (or Spaghetti)
- shaved Parmesan, for garnish
Instructions
- To make the roasted tomatoes, preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.
- Halve all of your tomatoes and add to a jelly roll pan.
- Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with the garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Toss to combine.
- Add to the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are browned.
- While waiting for the tomatoes to roast, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- While waiting for the water to boil, make your pesto. Toast the pine nuts over medium heat for a few minutes or until fragrant.
- Add to a food processor with the basil and garlic and process until finely chopped.
- While the processor is running, add the olive oil through the chute until the mixture is well combined.
- Season with salt and pepper and add in the pecorino cheese. Process until fully combined.
- When the water is boiling, season with salt and add in the rotini.
- Cook for 10-11 minutes and drain. Add to a bowl and mix in 1/2 of the pesto mixture. If you'd like to add more, feel free.
- Top with the roasted tomatoes and shaved Parmesan cheese. Serve with the leftover pesto, so that you can top your pasta with additional pesto.


That looks ridiculously good, I am a HUGE pesto lover, made me feel hungry when I’ve only just eaten. I wish I could grab a bowl of this DELISH!
Rahul @samosastreet.com recently posted..Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Yogurt Sauce
This looks so yummy! I love pesto – and this is a great way to add it in. The added protein is a great bonus!! #client
Yummy!!! This looks so good! 🙂 I haven’t had pesto in a while. I’m going to have to try this out soon!