Thin Spaghetti with Pesto and Tomatoes

I got this recipe from Good Housekeeping magazine years ago...it's a favorite every summer when basil is plentiful in my garden. The tomatoes add a little extra zest to the pesto recipe and keep the pesto-pasta from being too dry. 

I changed the recipe a bit by making the cherry tomato salad in advance. The tomatoes marinate in the dressing and develop a nice sauce.

Serves: 4 

Cherry Tomato Salad:

1-1/2 pints (about 3-1/2 cups ) cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1/2 (about 1/2 cup) small red onion, thinly sliced

1/3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves, cut into strips

1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1-1/2  teaspoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper

Pasta:

Salt, as needed

1 packages (16-ounce) thin spaghetti

Basil Pesto:

2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons pine nuts (pignoli), toasted

1 teaspoons salt

1/8 teaspoons ground black pepper

1/4 cups olive oil

1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese

Basil sprigs, for garnish

Directions

Prepare Cherry Tomato Salad. Combine all ingredients. Set aside for 1/2 hour to marinate.

Prepare Pasta: Heat large saucepot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Add spaghetti and cook as label directs.

When spaghetti has cooked to desired doneness, remove 1/4 cup pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain spaghetti and return to saucepot. Add pesto and reserved cooking water; toss well to distribute vegetables.

While pasta is cooking, prepare Basil Pesto: In food processor with knife blade attached, chop garlic. Add basil, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Finely chop. With processor running, gradually pour in olive oil until blended. Add Parmesan, pulsing to combine.

Transfer pesto to small bowl. Proceed with recipe, or place plastic wrap directly on pesto surface to prevent browning; set aside.

To serve, spoon spaghetti mixture into 4 serving bowls; top with tomato salad. Garnish with basil sprigs.