Ingredients

• 4 oz pasta (Rotini, penne etc)
• ¼ cup + 2 teaspoons pine nuts
• 12 halves of sun dried tomatoes
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup water
• ½ teaspoon pesto sauce (basil pesto)
• 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 3 oz baby spinach
• ¼ cup whole black olives

Method

• Lightly toast pine nuts
• Cook pasta and drain and set aside

• Add ¼ cup pine nuts, 10 halves of sun dried tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, water, pesto sauce, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to blender and puree until smooth.  Transfer to a dish and set aside
• Chop the rest of the sun dried tomatoes into very small pieces
• Add olive oil to a skillet and add cherry tomatoes and sauté for about 15 – 20 seconds (make sure the tomatoes do not get over cooked and become mushy)
• Add pasta sauce, cooked pasta and spinach to the skillet and continue to cook on very low flame until spinach is wilted.
• Add black olives, chopped sun dried tomatoes and mix well
• Sprinkle rest of the pine nuts on the top.
• Serve warm (It’s best served immediately)
• Serves 2