Pasta Shells with Tomato, Basil and Tapenade

Pasta Shells with Tomato, Basil & Tapenade

These Pasta Shells with Tomato, Basil & Tapenade are a surprisingly inexpensive and easy finger food.

Makes: 20 shells
Preparation time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

20 very big pasta shells
10 small or 5 large cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon tapenade (see tapenade recipe)
50 g (1 3/4 oz) marinated fetta
baby basil leaves

Method:

1. Cook pasta shells in plenty of salted boiling water. Drain and run under cold water until cool. Drain well.
2. Cut cherry tomatoes in half if they are small or quarters if they are large.
3. Arrange pasta shells on serving platter. Place a dollop tapenade in the bottom of each pasta shell. Push in a cherry tomato portion, a little fetta and top with a baby basil leaf. These will store in the fridge for a few hours.
4. Serve as finger food.

Lyndey’s Note: Buy the biggest size pasta shells you can. Conchiglie Rigate are the size most readily available. Sometimes giant pasta shells, Conchiglioni Rigati are available and can be stuffed with many more or larger ingredients.

Wine: Try a young semillon with the fresh flavours of this dish.

Recipe from Lyndey Milan, The Best Collection (New Holland 2009, 2013)

For a hot pasta recipe using cherry tomaotes try Lyndey’s Perfect Pasta with Quick Cherry Tomato Sauce

Watch Lyndey make it on Youtube