Most of my recipe reviews come from websites, but this time I decided to pull a recipe from a cookbook. The cookbook was The “I Don’t Know How to Cook” Book by Mary-Lane Kamberg, and the recipe that caught my eye was Pesto Rigatoni.
I chose it for a pretty simple reason: it looked easy, and it felt like summer on a plate. Pasta, tomatoes, pesto, and toasted pine nuts? That sounded like exactly the kind of meal I want this time of year.
Why I Chose This Recipe
As the weather warms up, I find myself gravitating toward meals that feel a little lighter and fresher.
This recipe seemed to strike a nice balance between comfort food and summer flavors. It also didn’t require a long list of ingredients or complicated techniques, which is always a plus.
How It Was to Make
This recipe was very easy to put together. The instructions were straightforward, and everything came together without much effort.
My biggest challenge was the pine nuts. I was so worried about burning them that I think I actually under toasted them instead.
And then there was my grocery list mishap.
The recipe calls for rigatoni. While making my grocery list, I checked the pantry and confidently thought I already had some. What I actually had was rotini. Apparently my brain decided those words were close enough. By the time I realized my mistake, dinner was already underway, so I used penne instead.
Thankfully, the recipe survived my lack of pasta reading skills.
How It Turned Out
I really enjoyed this one.
Going into it, I expected a strong pesto flavor, but I found it leaned more toward a tomato based sauce with hints of pesto throughout. That wasn’t a bad thing at all.
In fact, I thought it gave the dish a nice balance and kept the pesto from becoming overwhelming. The flavors felt fresh, simple, and perfect for this time of year.
Family Review
Paul: A definite success. He had two bowls and immediately asked if this could be added to our regular meal rotation.
Charlotte (toddler): Happily enjoyed her noodles.
Ben: Declared that he didn’t like it.
However, I suspect the real issue was that he was tired and not particularly hungry. He didn’t ask for an alternative dinner, which is usually my clue that the food itself wasn’t actually the problem.
Final Thoughts
This recipe ended up being exactly what I hoped it would be.
It was:
- easy to make
- full of fresh summer flavors
- family friendly
- simple enough for a weeknight
The fact that Paul immediately requested it for our regular rotation is probably the strongest endorsement it could get. I’ll definitely be keeping this one in mind throughout the summer months.
And next time, I’ll make sure I actually know the difference between rigatoni and rotini before writing my grocery list 😅
Looking for more easy weeknight meals? You can find my reviews here: Easy Weeknight Meals
Be sure to follow me on Facebook to know when a new post goes live: The Recipe Reality Check
