Ingredients:
12 oz. penne pasta
8.5 oz. jar sundried tomato, packed in olive oil
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 cup packed fresh basil
½ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for garnish
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ tsp salt
½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook penne until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water then drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl.
To make the pesto, toast the almonds in a small skillet over medium low heat, stirring frequently for approximately 3 minutes or until lightly golden. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sundried tomatoes and oil, the basil, toasted almonds, grated parmesan, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Blend until you've reached a relatively smooth consistency.
Pour the pesto into the pasta, add ¼ cup reserve pasta water and chopped olives, and toss to combine. Top with freshly grated parmesan and serve.