Truffle & Brie Festive Pasta Bake – An elegant and fabulously easy pasta bake that would be perfect for Christmas Eve or Boxing day, plus it is on the table in under 30 minutes and makes use of store-cupboard ingredients. The truffle pesto adds a touch of luxury to this simple dish.
Countdown to Christmas
Quick Recipes
Welcome to my second recipe in my Countdown to Christmas mini series; in these posts I will be sharing a series of recipes and menu planning ideas on the run up to Christmas. Today’s recipe for Truffle & Brie Festive Pasta Bake is a wonderfully indulgent recipe that uses Truffle Pesto as one of its ingredients. The elusive Black Summer Truffle thrives in open woodlands and is a jewel in Italy’s gastronomic crown. Hunted throughout the Summer and found only by its pungent aroma, it has a remarkable flavour unlike anything else, which is why it’s capable of transforming a simple recipe into something memorable, such as this pasta bake. Sacla’ Truffle Pesto is made with the prized Black Summer Truffles, cashew nuts and pine nuts, and I always have a jar tucked away in my store cupboard.
I used a 250g packet of Porcini Mushroom & Truffle Triangoli pasta from Aldi, it’s my favourite fresh pasta and it also freezes well for impromptu pasta feasting. Use any pasta that you have to hand, or that you that you are particularly fond of, but I do think that a mushroom filled pasta adds to and enhances the rather lovely earthy truffle flavour from the pesto. I timed this recipe today and it was cooked, served and on the table in 20 minutes. So, as well as being a lovely recipe for the busy festive period, this is a great time-saving recipe for a midweek supper after work too. I think it would be perfect for Christmas Eve or Boxing day, and it even looks festive being predominately red and green in colour!
My recipe today for Truffle & Brie Festive Pasta Bake is shared below, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did when I made it today for lunch. If you don’t have and Brie cheese, then Camembert will work just as well, as will any melting cheese. Optional extras I may add next time are olives, artichoke hearts and chopped cherry tomatoes; this really is just a blue print for a luxurious pasta bake where the truffle pesto is the main protagonist. Serve this pasta bake with seasonal salad leaves, crusty bread and BIG glass of wine! That’s all for today, I will be back with more festive recipes and some traveller’s tales too, Karen
Disclaimer: Paid collaborative work with Sacla’
Truffle & Brie Festive Pasta Bake
Print recipe
| Serves | 2 |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 20 minutes |
| Total time | 25 minutes |
| Dietary | Vegetarian |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas |
| Region | European |
| By author | Karen Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 250g fresh mushroom stuffed pasta (or spinach and ricotta cheese stuffed pasta)
- 1/2 x 200g jar of sun-dried tomato pesto (I used Sacla')
- 2 tablespoons Truffle pesto (I used Sacla')
- 80g Brie (diced with the rind on)
- Fresh basil leaves (torn onto small pieces with some left whole for a garnish)
Note
A tasty "stand-by" store cupboard pasta bake that is easy to whip up and is prefect for any weekend lunch, brunch and mid-week family supper, or as I have mentioned, a light and east Festive meal.
Directions
| Step 1 | Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 5. Cook the fresh pasta according to the packet instructions, it's usually 4 to 5 minutes in boiling water. Drain the pasta. |
| Step 2 | Add the pesto to the cooked pasta and mix gently without breaking the pasta. |
| Step 3 | Spoon the pasta into a oiled baking dish, then scatter the diced Brie over the top of the pasta. Then add the basil leaves and bake in pre-heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the pasta is bubbling. |
| Step 4 | Scatter the remaining basil leaves over the pasta and serve immediately with salad leaves and crusty bread. |
More PASTA recipes on Lavender & Lovage
Spicy Sausage Pizza Pasta Bake
A Vegetarian Light Lunch:
Three Cheese and Swiss Chard Pasta Bake Cake
The Big Bang Theory,
Pantry Staples and “Beefaroni” Pasta Bake
Tortellini Pasta Bake with
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto & Mozzarella
Catherine says
I liked the look of this recipe so much that I am off shopping this morning for all the ingredients.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Aww that is fabulous Catherine, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Karen
Nicole says
This is so good! I made a double batch because I am the only vegetarian at Christmas but I knew everyone would want to try it – and it was a hit! Very easy to throw together in the last rush before everyone arrived, and all the extra pesto (we made both kinds from scratch) can easily be used for other things. I’ll definitely keep this one around!!!
Karen Burns-Booth says
I am so pleased you enjoyed this recipe Nicole! Enjoy it in the New Year too, Karen