There are days when the pantry does all the work. This is one of them. You start with a jar of sun-dried tomatoes, a tub of ricotta, a handful of almonds, and about twenty minutes. What comes out is a sauce with more depth than the effort deserves.
The technique is Pugliese through and through: you blend the tomatoes cold, fold in the cheese, and let the starchy pasta water do the emulsifying. No heat, no hovering over the stove. The oil from the jar carries the flavor the tomatoes have been concentrating for weeks, and the ricotta rounds it into something that reads as rich without the weight of a cream sauce.
We use fusilli here because the spirals trap the pesto in a way flat pasta never quite manages. You want every bite to carry the full hit of the tomato, not just the strand.
Set servings and units first. You can change them anytime.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously.
Drain the sun-dried tomatoes well. If oil-packed, pat dry and reserve the jar oil.
In a food processor, pulse the almonds to a rough crumb. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, parmigiano, basil, and a pinch of salt. Process to a coarse paste.
With the processor running, drizzle in the olive oil until smooth. Add a little of the reserved jar oil if you want more depth.
Add the ricotta and pulse until creamy. Taste and adjust salt. The sauce is ready.
Cook the fusilli for 9 minutes. Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water.
Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add the pesto and 3 tbsp of pasta water. Toss until every spiral is coated, adding more water a little at a time if needed.
Divide among plates. Finish with extra basil and a light drizzle of olive oil.
You made Pasta ai Pomodori Secchi e Ricotta. Time to eat.
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The pasta water is the key. Sun-dried tomato pesto is denser than herb pesto, and without a splash of the starchy water it can clump rather than coat. Add it by the tablespoon, tossing between each addition, until the sauce flows and clings.
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