Holiday Pesto Pasta

Cooking Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Then, cook CAULIPOWER Cauliflower Pasta according to package instructions. Drain, and set aside.
2. Slice off the widest side of the bell pepper. Remove white membrane and any seeds. If desired, use a small star shaped cookie cutter to cut a star for the top of the tree. Slice a rectangular trunk out of remaining bell pepper.
3. Heat a medium sized pan over medium high heat and add a small drizzle of olive oil, then add the star and trunk, shiny side down. Cook about 3-5 minutes until the skin starts to blister and brown. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until the skins just start to blister but the tomatoes stay intact. Season with salt to taste and remove the bell pepper and tomatoes from the pan.
4. Add the drained pasta to the pan you cooked the bell peppers and tomatoes in and add the pesto, stirring to combine.
5. Grab a platter and begin to build the bottom layer of the tree, twirling the pasta as you place each layer. Use all the pasta until you come to a point near the top of the platter, creating a triangular tree shape of pasta. Place the bell pepper trunk at the bottom of the tree and the bell pepper star at the top.
6. Add the blistered cherry tomatoes to the top of the pasta tree as ornaments. Enjoy!