Growing up my mom had a large garden. Potatoes. Carrots. Tomatoes. The usual suspects. And I thought it was a big pain in the you-know-what. In my mind, grocery stores carried the same produce and – mostly importantly – didn’t involve helping my mom in the garden.
Now that I’m older and live too far to share in her garden’s bounty – I’m deeply envious. Okay, I technically still don’t actually want to “garden”, but I want those darn vegetables—particularly the tomatoes. A bite of a fresh garden tomato is heaven, which is why I love this recipe so much. It’s simple. Flavorful. And easy too.
While the name implies this is a summer dish, it can easily be made year-round. You can substitute the garden tomatoes with cherry tomatoes on the vine from your grocery store whenever the winter blues inevitably strike.
So whether your garden is currently overflowing with tomatoes or there is 10 inches of snow on the ground – this makes a light, refreshing dinner flavored with the taste of summer’s garden bounty.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup basil, julienned
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I’m a wimp so use more if you’re not!)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound angel hair pasta
- 1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Combine tomatoes with 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a large non-reactive bowl.
- Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for about 4 hour.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt to season water then add pasta.
- Cook pasta according to directions on the box.
- Drain pasta and add to tomato mixture.
- Add parmesan cheese and toss together.
- Top with extra parmesan cheese, basil and balsamic vinegar glaze (if using).
Notes
To make balsamic vinegar glaze: in a small sauce pan over medium heat, add 1 cup of balsamic vinegar. Bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Vinegar should now coat the back of a spoon. Cool and refrigerate until serving.
This can be a great vegetarian meal but it is also pairs beautifully with grilled chicken.
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