wine night: ravioli with pesto, artichokes, and tomatoes

Happy (sweaty) Wine Night!  We've called an audible for tonight and have opted to not cook at all - it's too hot!  But, if you are in the mood to cook I have an incredibly easy, tasty, and fast dinner for you.  Vegetarian friends you'll love this one too - no meat!  It's very simple - cheese ravioli with sauteed tomatoes and artichokes, all tossed in a pesto sauce.  It feels light enough for a summer meal, but still fills you up.  A nice glass of wine along side (I think red or white would both go well with this) and you're set with a Wine Night meal that took less than 20 minutes.

Hungry yet?  

Step by step directions and recipe below.

Make this for your Wine Night tonight!

Step 1:::  Heat a large pot of water to boil.  Once boiling, add cheese ravioli and cook two minutes less than package directions.

Step 2:::  While pasta cooks, make the sauce.  In a large sauté pan, sauté pesto, tomatoes, artichokes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper until heated through and tomatoes are bursting slightly.  About 5 minutes.

Step 3:::  Your sauce and pasta should finish cooking at abuot the same time.  Now time to combine.  Lift ravioli with a spider into sauté pan (I like this method b/c it gets just the right amount of pasta water in with the sauce).  Lightly toss to combine and cook until ravioli are al dente (about 2 more minutes).  If the sauce feels to thick, add a tablespoon of pasta cooking water at a time to loosen things up.

Step 4:::  Serve immediately with basil chiffonade on top.  Here's a cute little gif of chiffonadeing basil.  It's like basil confetti!

Ravioli with Pesto, Artichokes, and Tomatoes

By Katie Rose of The Rose Record

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 (9 oz.) packages light four cheese Ravioli (I used Butoni brand)
• 1 cup pesto (I used a homemade batch, but store bought is also fine)
• 1 cup canned artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered
• Red pepper flakes (optional, but duh I used them)
• Salt and pepper
• ½ pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tablespoon chiffonade Basil

 Directions:

1. Heat salted water to boiling.  Once boiling  add cheese ravioli and cook two minutes less than package directions.
2. While pasta cooks, make the sauce.  In a large sauté pan, sauté pesto, tomatoes, artichokes, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper until heated through and tomatoes are bursting slightly.  About 5 minutes.
3.  Lift ravioli with a spider into sauté pan.  Stir to combine and cook until ravioli are al dente (about 2 more minutes.  Add a tablespoon of pasta cooking water at at time as needed if sauce appears too thick.
4.  Serve immediately with basil chiffonade on top. 

Nutrition:

• Calories:  450
• Carbs:  47
• Fat:  18
• Protein:  19

Enjoy!

XOXO,

K

{photos by me}