Spaghetti with tomatoes and pesto

A recipe from cooking-ez.com

For 4 people, you will need:

• 1 200 g cherry tomatoes
• 2 1 sprig thyme
• 3 1 bayleaf
• 4 1 garlic clove
• 5 1 shallot
• 6 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 7 400 g spaghetti
• 8 2 tablespoons pesto
• 9 Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
• 10 Salt
• 11 Pepper
• Total weight: 730 grams

Times:

Preparation	Cooking	Start to finish
20 min.	15 min.	35 min.

Step by step recipe

1	Cut 200 g cherry tomatoes in half, sprinkle with a little fine salt and leave to stand.
2	Wash and dry all the herbs, peel the garlic clove and halve it.
3	Prepare and chop 1 shallot.
4	Pour 4 tablespoons olive oil into a frying pan over high heat and, when hot, add the herbs and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
5	Add the shallot, salt and pepper, and continue to cook for a further minute, without browning.
6	Add the tomatoes, stir, lower the heat a little and leave to cook.
7	Meanwhile, cook and drain 400 g spaghetti, but keep a ladleful of the cooking water. Note: I advise you to cook them for 2 minutes less than indicated on the packet, as they will return to the heat afterwards.
8	Once the tomatoes are cooked and slightly stewed, remove and discard the garlic clove and herbs.
9	Add the spaghetti...
10	... and mix well.
11	Add 2 tablespoons pesto and mix again.
12	To finish, add the ladleful of cooking water set aside in step 7, and mix one last time to obtain a delicious, creamy liaison.
13	Serve immediately, with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan.

Remarks

If you don't have cherry tomatoes, dice 2.
Use whatever herbs you have on hand, but if possible, at least thyme and bay leaf.

---