Summer Garden Pasta

Thanks so much to everyone who answered my cry for help with simple summer recipe suggestions. I’m proud to say that we’ve only eaten at Chick-fil-a once in the last 3 weeks I’ve been cooking more and that makes both Tyler and I very happy. This pasta recipe was a great use for my basil. I only got small leaves off my plant this year, not sure what went wrong, maybe the pot was too small? Maybe it was the kind of basil that doesn’t produce tall plants and big leaves? It still tastes like basil so whatever! I marinated the tomatoes overnight and then just threw it all together at dinner the next day, very delicious, and makes a great cold leftover pasta salad. This is an Ina Garten recipe, recommended to me by Megan, thanks so much for coming to the rescue!

Summer Garden Pasta (adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa at Home)

Ingredients:

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
good olive oil
1 TB minced garlic (6 cloves)
9 large basil leaves, julienned, plus more for serving
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound dried angel hair pasta
3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving (she
suggests grinding cheese in a food processor fitted with a metal
blade, instead of grating – gives it a nice texture)

Directions:

Combine cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic, basil leaves, red
pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Cover
with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for about 4
hours.

Just before you’re ready to serve, bring a large pot of water with a
splash of olive oil and 2 TB salt to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al
dente according to package directions (about 2-3 minutes). Drain pasta
well and add to the bowl with the cherry tomatoes. Add the cheese and
some extra fresh basil leaves and toss well. Serve in big bowls with
extra cheese on each serving.