meet my favorite go-to summer meal: pasta tossed with tomatoes + basil from our garden, olive oil, a little salt + pepper, + of course, some freshly grated parmesan cheese. my husband made this for me first last summer (yes, he can cook!) + i was hooked. the tomatoes are fresh + sweet, which is perfectly complemented by the rich, creamy parmesan + bright basil. summer in a bowl!
the ingredient amounts below are my preferences – i tend to like my pastas loaded up with veggies + cheese with a good salty bite. you may want to choose ingredient amounts largely based on your taste – perhaps you want fewer tomatoes, more pasta, less cheese, or some red pepper flakes for a little heat. don’t be afraid to go on your instincts + play around in the kitchen – your inner chef may just surprise you with his/her awesomeness. bon appetit!
pasta with fresh summer tomatoes, basil + parmesan
makes 2-3 servings, a fearless homemaker original!
ingredients
2 pints grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup olive oil
about a dozen basil leaves, cut in chiffonade
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
8 ounces angel hair pasta
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheesedirections
combine the tomatoes, olive oil, basil, salt + pepper in a medium-sized bowl. let marinate for at least 30 minutes + up to a few hours.
cook the pasta according to the package directions, until al dente. reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid, drain, + toss with the marinated tomato mixture. add enough cooking liquid to achieve the moisture decided, toss with the parmesan + serve immediately.
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{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! I was waiting for this one…after seeing the photo on facebook.
i got a bunch of emails asking for it, so i figured it was time to determine the ingredient amounts. i want to get better at writing down amounts when i improv in the kitchen, since some of those dishes turn out wonderfully!
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. I love those colored cherry tomatoes. With those and the basil it is a great summer dish! I think I need to make this soon before the summer tomatoes are gone.
agree, sometimes simpler / fresher can be just as good, if not better, than the long-ingredient list dishes. enjoy this if / when you make it!
This looks fabulous–colorful, cool, easy and healthy–my favorites this time of year!
amen. there’s no use slaving over a hot stove this time of year unless you must. the less time in the heat of the kitchen, the better!
That might be the prettiest pasta I’ve ever seen. Gorgeous!!!! (And sounds delicious)!
aww, shucks. =) + yes, it is pretty darn delicious!
If i let the little fat girl inside of me make decisions i’d eat pasta twice a day, everyday. Alas, the skinny girl has veto power. However, with enough veggies from my garden & an extra Pure barre class, i may get away with eating that delish recipe from Mr. Fearless more often. At bare minimum this will make it into my monthly menu rotation
ditto! i try to limit myself to pasta once or so a week – it’s a food that i cannot control how much i eat! quinoa, rice, couscous, barley — those are all no problem. pasta? that’s a whole ‘nother story. it’s addictive!
So simple, pretty and fresh. I love it!
thanks, alison. simple + fresh + pretty = a perfect meal!
I just picked a ton of tomatoes and basil from my garden today. Now I know what i’m making for dinner tomorrow. This looks amazing, thank you!
awesome! that’s exactly how this recipe came to be — so we could use up those wonderful fresh tomatoes + basil from the garden. let me know how it goes! =)
This must be so delicious with the fresh tomatoes and basil. Looks perfect!
it is, maris – definitely one of my favorite meals of the summer. =)
Yum! I just made something similar this week -it’s such a perfect dish for this time of year!
i’d love to see your version – maybe it’ll make an appearance on your blog sometime soon. =)
I definitely know what I am making tomorrow for dinner (I think our tomatoes will be ripe then). This looks fantastic!!
awesome! if you have extra time / the desire to do so, take a picture of the finished result – your photos are always so lovely, + i’d love to see how it turns out. bon appetit!
So pretty! I love all the vibrant colors! I do a very similar dish, only I use fresh mozzarella in place of the parmesan and add a liberal dose of pine nuts. Yum!
i’ve used fresh mozzarella, too, which is delicious! i haven’t tried adding pine nuts, but that’s a great idea – they’d add a really nice flavor.
This is EXACTLY what I want for dinner tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
you’re the third person who has told me they’re making this for dinner tonight – that rocks! we should all get together for a pasta party. =)
One of the main reasons I hate for summer to end is all the fresh vegetables go with it! Meals like this should be all year round!
so true. i like winter veggies like parsnips, but they are *nothing* like fresh summer vegetables!
this is such a pretty picture! i am loving the fresh flavors here..yum! thank you for sharing this.
aren’t the summer colors just irresistible? + you’re welcome. =)
I love this idea. It’s so fresh and simple, but I bet it has lots of flavor. Great idea!
thanks, kristen! this is definitely something that anyone can make, too, however domesticated (or not-so-domesticated) they may be. just kiddin’!
Wherever I look it’s pasta and I love it.. But it’s not so good for my diet plans 😀
to make it even better for your diet plan, try substituting whole wheat pasta. there’s also reduced-calorie pasta, but i’ve never tried it, so i can’t speak to how tasty it might be. =)
It’s one of my favorites, too. Unfortunately, living with a tomato-hater limits how often I fix this for dinner!
my husband is a raw-tomato hater, too, so when i make this, he normally gets fried chicken or a burger. we should send the menfolk out for a meat fiesta one night + you + i can enjoy this. =)
What a great pasta dish! I just picked a bunch of tomatoes this morning, looks perfect for this!
that’s what brought the recipe about – trying to find a new, good use for all of our garden tomatoes. hope you give this a try + love it!
This pasta looks amazing, bookmarked and am a new follower!
great to meet you, jessica! i’m a huuuge cajun food lover so i’m so glad we connected. off to check out your blog!