Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
Summer Produce: Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
The end of summer – and my vacation – is rapidly approaching. I can’t believe I am already going back to school on Monday! One thing that isn’t ending, though, is a supply of farm fresh produce. Yesterday a guest brought us a bunch of cherry tomatoes and basil from her garden. Everything smelled so great! I made sure to use it right away to create this pasta with cherry tomatoes.
Garden Fresh is Best with Pasta and Cherry Tomatoes
This is a meal that I make throughout the year, but adding fresh cherry tomatoes and basil was really a game changer. Grocery store produce really can’t compare to garden fresh. I feel like most grocery produce doesn’t have much of a taste. That said, I did mix in some store bought tomatoes to increase the quantity.
Fresh Herbs are Always a Plus
The recipe starts off with sautéed garlic and onions. Once they are soft and translucent, I added in my tomatoes. Oregano, thyme, and salt provide added flavor. Fresh are great, of course, but I only had dried this time. It was still great. The tomatoes are ready when a gentle push with a spoon makes them pop.
While the tomatoes cooked, I prepared a half box of pasta. As usual, I didn’t have enough of one type, so I mixed two similar shapes together. I’m sure there is some rule against that, but I do it all the time and we’ve survived so far.
Fresh Basil, A Layer of Cheese: the Perfect Toppings for Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
Once the pasta and tomatoes were cooked, I poured the drained pasta into the pan with the tomatoes. Top it with cheese (Parmesan or another “Italian” style cheese) and torn pieces of fresh basil. Make sure you stir well so you get a little bit of everything.
I Guess Not Everyone is Meant to Be a Gardener
Now is the time to make use of all of the garden fresh produce! I would love to say I would go to my garden and pick veggies, but it isn’t happening. Two summers ago I decided to try planting veggies. I went with tomatoes and bell peppers. They grew! Little tomatoes! Tiny peppers! I kept dragging my husband to the yard to appreciate my work. And then the squirrels arrived. First the tomatoes went, then the peppers. So sad.
Happily, my supermarket has a section of farm fresh produce and we have friends whose squirrels respect their gardens. Now is the time take advantage of all those fresh vegetables and I can’t overstate how easy this dish is. It requires very little prep and just a couple of pans to produce a truly tasty and visually appealing meal.
Here’s to the rest of summer!
Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups cooked pasta ziti, rigatoni, or penne
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- salt to taste
- shredded fresh basil
- 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese Parmesan, mozzarella, or "four cheese" mixture
Instructions
- Prepare the veggies before beginning: wash the tomatoes and remove any stems, chop the onion, mince the garlic. I like to smash the garlic and mince it into small bits. If you like larger chunks, you can just slice it thinly.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. I used about 1/2 of a standard box.
- Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat.
- Cook the garlic until fragrant – about two minutes.
- Add the onion and cook until translucent. Make sure you do not brown the onion/garlic.
- Reduce the heat to medium.
- Add the tomatoes, oregano, and thyme. Cook until the tomatoes burst easily when gently pressed with a spoon or spatula. Be careful of the hot juices in the tomatoes.
- Add salt to taste. Remember to start small, taste, and add a bit more if necessary.
- Pour the drained pasta into the skillet with the tomatoes.
- Stir together, bringing the tomatoes and onions up from the bottom.
- Sprinkle with cheese. You can start with 1/2 cup and add more if desired.
- Turn off the heat and cover for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Top with a few shredded leaves of fresh basil.
