- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20-30 minutes
- Serving: Serves more than 10
Pesto Ricotta Pasta Cups
This is an easy recipe that does a great job at sprucing up plain old pasta, and it's sure to be a hit when entertaining. The golden brown cheesy topping, with its zesty flavour combo of basil, garlic and chilli, will have you and your guests coming back for more!
Recipe Tester Feedback: “These pasta cups are very flavoursome and make the pasta zing!" - Heidi
Contains: Gluten / Dairy / Egg / Nuts
Preparation Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 20-30 minutes
Makes 16-20
Can be frozen
You will need:
2 silicone muffin forms
large saucepan
sieve
spatula
tablespoon
Ingredients
- pasta - 300g, macaroni or elbow pasta
- Parmesan cheese - 100g, grated, for topping
- Ricotta pesto sauce
- Parmesan cheese - 20g, or pecorino cheese
- fresh basil - 60g, leaves
- cashew nuts - 70g, or pine nuts
- chilli - 1, to your preferred heat level, optional
- garlic clove - 1, peeled
- butter - 15g, or oil
- salt flakes - 1 tsp
- pepper - cracked, black
- water - 60g
- ricotta cheese - 250g, smooth, Italian
- eggs - 2
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C. It is best to use silicone muffin forms for these.
- Cook the macaroni (300g) according to packet directions in a large saucepan. Once cooked, drain and set aside in the saucepan.
Ricotta pesto sauce:
- Add Parmesan cheese (20g only) to the bowl. Grate Speed 8 / 10 seconds.
- Add the fresh basil leaves (60g), cashews (70g), chilli (1, if using) and peeled garlic clove (1) to the bowl. Chop Speed 6 / 12 seconds. Scrape down sides.
- Chop again Speed 6 / 5 seconds. Scrape down sides.
- Add the butter (15g), salt flakes (1 tsp) and cracked black pepper to the bowl. Program 2:30 minutes / 80C / Speed 1.5.
- Add the water (60g) to the bowl. Program 1 minute / 80C / Speed 4, measuring cap on.
- Add the smooth ricotta (250g) and eggs (2) to the bowl. Mix Speed 5 / 10 seconds.
Assembly:
- Add the basil sauce to the cooked pasta and stir to combine.
- Place a heaped tablespoon of mixture into each muffin hole. Press to compact slightly.
- Sprinkle the top of each cup with extra grated Parmesan cheese (100g total).
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until golden. Allow to cool slightly before removing from the silicone forms.
- Enjoy!
Make your own!
* Make your own ricotta with the Ricotta Cheese recipe from The Make Your Own Bonus Issue.
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