There’s a restaurant in Lille called Alfredo that serves this exact dish, and it completely won me over. Mamma mia. I wanted to recreate it my own way, and it’s been a ridiculous amount of fun ever since. What gets me every time is the sheer generosity of it – pesto rosso, stracciatella and cured ham all piled into one bowl – and the pangrattato on top means every bite gets that little crunch-against-silk contrast that makes the whole plate sing.
Pesto rosso doesn’t get nearly enough credit. Most people only ever meet the jarred version, when the homemade one – made with love and proper seasonal tomatoes – is on a completely different level.
Pesto Rosso Pasta – About the Dish
Pesto rosso, or pesto alla trapanese if you trace it back to Sicily, swaps the classic basil-and-pine-nut Genovese base for sun-ripened tomatoes, pine nuts and garlic. It’s punchier and sweeter, and built to carry rich toppings without disappearing underneath them.
This version leans fully into that generosity: the tomatoes are slow-roasted into a deep, concentrated confit before they even meet the blender, and the finished pasta gets piled with stracciatella, torn cured ham and a crunchy pangrattato – the kind of loaded, textural plate you’d expect from a proper Italian trattoria.
Pesto Rosso Pasta – Recipe
Ingredients – Advice & where to find them
- Roma tomatoes: pick ripe, firm ones and roast them low and slow. This confit step is what gives the pesto its deep, concentrated flavor, so don’t rush or skip it.
- Pine nuts: toast them dry in a pan until just golden. It only takes a few minutes and makes a real difference to the final taste.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: grate it fresh rather than using pre-grated. It melts into the pesto far more smoothly.
- Garlic and red chili: go easy at first. A small clove and half a chili are enough to season without overpowering the tomatoes.
- Basil: fresh leaves only, added at the end so the pesto stays bright rather than turning dull.
- Paccheri or calamarata pasta: they trap the sauce inside. Any large short pasta shape works if you can’t find them.
- Stale bread: a day or two old is ideal for the pangrattato, since it crisps up better than fresh bread.
- Stracciatella (or burrata): the creamy heart of a burrata. Look for it at a good Italian deli or cheese counter.
- Prosciutto crudo or San Daniele ham: tear it by hand rather than slicing it, for a more rustic, generous look on the plate.
Cooking Tips
- Let the tomatoes go the full 3 to 4 hours in the oven. They should lose about half their volume and turn deeply concentrated but still supple, not dried out.
- Blend the pesto gradually, adding the olive oil little by little, until it’s thick but still pourable. It shouldn’t turn liquid.
- Always reserve some pasta cooking water before draining. It’s what turns the pesto into a glossy sauce that clings to the paccheri.
- Take the stracciatella or burrata out of the fridge about 30 minutes before serving. It turns noticeably creamier and more flavorful at room temperature.
- Never stir the stracciatella into the hot pasta. Spoon it on right at the end, since the contrast between the warm paccheri and the cool, fresh cheese is one of the best parts of this dish.
And that’s it – Alfredo would approve. Buon appetito!
Pesto Rosso Pasta
Description
Paccheri tossed in a rich homemade sun-dried tomato pesto rosso, finished with silky stracciatella, crispy pangrattato and cured ham - an indulgent, restaurant-inspired Italian pasta.
For the confit tomatoes
Confit Tomatoes
Pesto Rosso
Pasta
Pangrattato
To Serve
Instructions
Confit the Tomatoes
Roast the tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 120C fan/convection. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and arrange them skin-side down, flesh facing up, on a baking tray. Season with the olive oil, salt and sugar. Bake for 3 to 4 hours, until very concentrated and lightly caramelized at the edges but still supple, reduced to about half their original volume.
Toast the Pine Nuts
Toast the pine nuts
Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring often, until lightly golden.
Make the Pesto Rosso
Blend the pesto
Blend 300g of the confit tomatoes with the toasted pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and basil. Gradually add the olive oil until the texture is thick but smooth. Taste, and season with salt only if needed. The pesto should be thick but pourable, not liquid.
Make the Pangrattato
Toast the breadcrumbs
Blend the stale bread into a fairly coarse crumb. Heat the olive oil in a pan with the whole, lightly crushed garlic clove; let it infuse for 2 to 3 minutes, then remove the garlic. Add the breadcrumbs and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, for 6 to 8 minutes until golden. Off the heat, stir in the grated parmesan and a pinch of salt. Let cool - it will crisp up further.
Cook the Pasta
Boil the paccheri
Cook the paccheri until al dente (important). Reserve about 300ml of the pasta cooking water before draining.
Finish the Sauce
Toss the pasta with the pesto
Pour the pesto into a large mixing bowl, add a ladle of pasta cooking water and mix. Add the paccheri and toss vigorously, gradually adding more cooking water until the sauce turns glossy and coats the pasta perfectly.
Plate
Plate and finish
Assemble on each plate, topping the pasta with a handful of Pangrattato, strips or ham, and straciatella.
Eat immeadiately!