Needed some tinkering, but good in the end!

Cavatappi with Arugula Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes is a light pasta dish saturated in a peppery and nutty pesto. Corkscrew shaped pasta is the perfect vessel as the ridges are able to catch and hold onto the sauce. Upon first bite, I found the bitterness of the arugula to almost be overpowering, so next time I would use a bit more lemon juice or replace half of the arugula with spinach. The original recipe called for water in the pesto, but I used chicken broth instead to punch up the taste.

To add another layer of flavor, I pan roasted the sweet cherry tomatoes in a touch of olive oil, just until they burst, instead of leaving them raw. To round out the dish, a smattering of toasted pine nuts added just enough richness to pull together the flavors.

Recipes
Cavatappi with Arugula Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes