Okay so I have been cooking this past week! I was on a stupidly strict diet for awhile but I am on summer hiatus from said diet so I decided to take care of my family........
This is a recipe that I got years ago. It is a favorite summertime recipe. It does not have exact amounts so just use your imagination here. I will type the gist of it with my variations I have tried over the years.
Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta: (basic recipe)
1 lb. pasta (I use linguine for this recipe)
About 6 ripe tomatoes
1 bunch fresh basil
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed or sliced thinly
Olive oil*
fresh-grated (or not) Parmesan cheese
*Here is the story on the olive oil. The friend that gave us this recipe at a R.S. meeting years ago was about the diameter of a pencil. When someone in the audience asked her "how much olive oil?" She said "oh, about a cup". What???????? So anyway, use your judgment here. I think about 1/3 cup works nicely.
Boil pasta til al dente in salted water.........drain. In large skillet lightly brown fresh garlic in olive oil. Add tomatoes and fresh basil and cook for just 1-2 minutes. Serve over pasta. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Old variations I have tried............Add other Summer vegetables, i.e., zucchini, peppers, onion, etc.
New Variation.....
I saw a recipe on food network the other day for spaghetti that gave me this idea.......................Squeeze small amounts of Italian sausage directly from casing into olive oil, forming small, irregular (or "rustic") meatballs. (this was fun!) Add diced Vidalia onion with garlic and sausage. When sausage is done quickly add tomatoes and basil. cook about 1 minute til heated through. Remove from oil with slotted spoon. Add cooked noodles back to olive oil pan to soak up all that good flavor! Then top with tomato mixture and toss. Add Parmesan cheese and serve.
The kids all love it! This is the first time I have ever made it with meat and they all liked it. But they like it equally well without the meat too........
Enjoy. And post your own variations as well!
Happy St. Patrick's Day 2026
1 month ago
2 comments:
Dang! I just used up my fresh tomatoes for a creamy tomato basil soup~ Just one question...Do you chop up your tomatoes before throwing them over the pasta? In large chunks or itty bitty pieces?
If I am using Roma I cut each one in about 8 pieces. if using other tomatoes I make them about that same size.....they cook down quickly even though you don't leave them in long. I have been looking for a good creamy tomato basil soup recipe. Can you post it? The last one I tried just tasted like we were eating a bowl of marinara. I can't seem to comment on your blog anymore but I am loving it!!!!!!
Post a Comment