Recipe for: Tagliatelle with Grilled Vegetables, Cottage Cheese, and Fresh Basil Pesto - photo 1
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Recipe for: Tagliatelle with Grilled Vegetables, Cottage Cheese, and Fresh Basil Pesto

Spicy Main dishes Grilling 35 min Easy 0 views ~28.60 PLN * - (0)
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Description

A light, fresh, and aromatic suggestion for a quick lunch: wide ribbons of tagliatelle pasta served with a mix of grilled vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, onion, tomato), creamy cheese, and intense green basil pesto. The dish combines the smoky flavor of the vegetables with the freshness of basil and the delicate acidity of lemon — perfect for warm days after grilling or as a simple, homemade weeknight meal. Serve with an extra portion of cheese and optional grated Parmesan; it pairs wonderfully with a light arugula salad or pickled cucumber. Visually, it features a contrast of green basil, golden-brown grill marks, and white cheese against the backdrop of pale yellow pasta.

Ingredients Used

Ingredients (15)

Servings:
4
  • Tagliatelle 360 g
  • Zucchini 1.2 pcs (~300 g)
  • Eggplant 0.9 pcs (~300 g)
  • Red bell pepper 1.7 pcs (~300 g)
  • Onion 1 pcs (~150 g)
  • Tomato 1.7 pcs (~200 g)
  • Cottage cheese 250 g
  • Olive oil 45 ml
  • Garlic 3 clove (~15 g)
  • Lemon 0.6 pcs (~50 g)
  • 🌿 Spices
  • Basil 30 g
  • Salt 0.2 pinch (~5 g)
  • Black pepper 4 pinch (~2 g)
  • ✨ Optional
  • Walnuts 50 g
  • Parmesan cheese 40 g
💰 Estimated dish cost: ~28.60 PLN (7.15 PLN/serving)
* Prices missing for some ingredients

💡 Click an ingredient to mark it as used

Preparation steps

Pesto

1

Wash the basil leaves under cold water and gently dry them with a paper towel or a salad spinner. Grate the lemon zest using a fine grater (only the yellow part), being careful not to grate the bitter white layer. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out a teaspoon of juice.

Ingredients: Basil, Lemon
Use a grater and microplane if you have them; the basil should be dry, as water will thin the pesto.
2

In a blender or food processor, place the basil leaves, garlic cloves (peeled), lemon zest, optional walnuts, and salt (1/2 teaspoon). Pulse while gradually adding olive oil — first 2 tablespoons, then the rest. The consistency should be thick but fluid, easy to mix with the pasta.

Ingredients: Basil, Garlic, Olive oil, Salt, Lemon
If you don't have a blender, finely chop the basil and garlic with a knife, and slowly pour in the oil while stirring with a spoon. Be careful not to overheat the blender — short pulses are better.
3

Taste the pesto and season with salt and pepper to your liking. If the mixture is too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of pasta cooking water later to achieve a creamy consistency.

Ingredients: Salt, Black pepper
The pesto should be bold, but not too salty — remember that you will add cottage cheese and possibly Parmesan.

Grilled vegetables

4

Wash the vegetables. Cut the zucchini into diagonal slices about 5 mm thick, the eggplant into slices about 7 mm thick (you can lightly salt it and wait 10 minutes to remove bitterness, then dry with a towel), cut the bell pepper into quarters and remove the seeds, slice the onion into 5 mm thick rings, and cut the tomatoes in half or leave them whole if using cherry tomatoes.

Ingredients: Zucchini, Eggplant, Red bell pepper, Onion, Tomato
Use a cutting board and a sharp knife; the slices should not be too thin, as they will fall apart on the grill.
5

Preheat the outdoor grill or grill pan over medium-high heat (it should be very hot before placing the vegetables). Brush the vegetables with olive oil on both sides (use a brush) and lightly sprinkle with salt. Arrange the vegetables in batches, do not overcrowd the grill.

Ingredients: Olive oil, Salt
If you are using a grill pan, the best size is 26-28 cm in diameter or larger. Use kitchen tongs to turn the vegetables.
6

Grill the zucchini and eggplant for 3-4 minutes on each side until dark stripes appear and the flesh softens. Grill the bell pepper for 4-5 minutes on each side until the skin softens slightly and gets a bit charred — after cooling, you can remove the skin if you prefer. Grill the onion for 3-4 minutes on each side until it softens and lightly browns. Add the tomatoes for the last 2 minutes so they get slightly browned but do not fall apart completely.

Ingredients: Zucchini, Eggplant, Red bell pepper, Onion, Tomato
Control the heat — too high will cause the outside to burn before the center softens. The vegetables are ready when they easily show softness when pressed with tongs.

Pasta

7

In a large pot, bring 3 liters of water to a boil. Add 1 flat teaspoon of salt. Toss in the tagliatelle and cook according to the package instructions (usually 7-9 minutes for dry pasta) until al dente — it should be soft but still have a slight bite in the center.

Ingredients: tagliatelle, Salt
Use a large pot (at least 4 l), gently stir the pasta in the first minute to prevent it from sticking. Reserve 120 ml of the cooking water before draining.

Pasta and assembly

8

Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving 120 ml of the cooking water. Transfer the pasta back to the warm pot on the turned-off burner.

Ingredients: tagliatelle
Do not rinse the pasta with cold water — it will cool down the starch needed to bind the sauce.
9

Add 3-4 tablespoons of pesto to the pasta (more to taste), pieces of grilled vegetables, and crumbled cheese. Pour in 2-4 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water to help the sauce combine with the pasta and create a creamy coating. Gently mix with a wooden spoon or tongs for 1-2 minutes until the ingredients are combined and the pasta is evenly coated with pesto.

Ingredients: tagliatelle, Cottage cheese, Tomato, Zucchini, Eggplant, Red bell pepper
If the pesto seems too thick, add more cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time. Use a wooden spoon or silicone spatulas to avoid damaging the pasta.

Finishing

10

Transfer the tagliatelle to warm plates. Sprinkle with chopped or crumbled cheese on top and optionally grated Parmesan. Add freshly ground pepper and drizzle with a bit of olive oil or extra lemon juice to enhance the flavor.

Ingredients: Cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, Olive oil, Black pepper, Lemon
Serve immediately — the pasta tastes best fresh and warm. If Parmesan cheese is an option, sprinkle it at the table so it doesn't soften too early.

Additional tips

11

If you have leftover pesto, store it in a jar, level the surface, and cover it with a thin layer of oil — this will prevent it from darkening. Store the remaining pasta separately from the toppings, and before reheating, add a little water or oil to restore creaminess.

Ingredients: Olive oil
For reheating, use a pan over low heat, stirring until hot — the microwave will dry out the pasta.

Fun Fact

💡

Pesto comes from Liguria (Italy), but in this version, local Polish twaróg is used, which combines the Mediterranean flavor of basil with the delicacy of Polish dairy — this is a popular way to adapt regional dishes to local products.

Best for

letni obiad grillowanie szybki obiad na co dzień

Tips

🍽️ Serving

Serve immediately after preparation with fresh basil leaves and additional cottage cheese. For drinking, I suggest a light white wine or chilled lemon water. Arrange the pasta in the center of the plate, place the vegetables on top, and sprinkle with cottage cheese — it looks aesthetically pleasing and inviting.

🥡 Storage

Store pesto separately (in a jar with oil) and pasta (in a closed container) in the fridge for up to 2 days. Grilled vegetables can be stored for up to 48 hours. To reheat, sauté in a pan with 1-2 tablespoons of water or oil, stirring gently.

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