Baked Rotini Pasta With Ricotta Pesto - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped unblanched almonds
1 clove chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
12 ounces rotini pasta (spirals)
3 cups ricotta cheese
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
black pepper

Preparation

Puree the basil leaves, almonds, garlic and salt together in a food processor.
With motor running, gradually add the olive oil thru the feeder tube.
Stir in 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese and set aside.
Cook pasta in boiling salted water until still a little firm about 8 minutes, then drain.
In another bowl, combine pesto, ricotta, half the mozzarella and the black pepper.
Add the pasta and toss to blend.
Pour into a 1 1/2 quart shallow baking dish and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan and the rest of the mozzarella.
Bake at 350\u00b0 for 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.