Tomato and Basil Pasta

One of my favorite flavor combinations is tomato and basil. When I was in Italy I ate caprese sandwiches almost every day (I do not suggest this if you are watching your weight…). I also ate gelato every day, so honestly weight gain wasn’t really something I was worrying about… None the less, I still hold those Italian flavors close to my heart. Last night I attempted a simple pasta with fresh basil, which is something I have never cooked with. It went well, in my opinion.

Difficulty: Very Easy

Time: 30 mins (if that really)

Ingredients:

Tomato

Onion

Garlic cloves

Olive Oil

Fresh Basil

Whole Wheat Spiral Pasta

Feta & Parm Cheese

To make this you must prepare the pasta so it is done right when the veggies are done or slightly before hand. I started boiling the water right before I started chopping the veggies and it all was done in perfect time. This was such an easy meal I can see it being a staple for me when I stop being excited about trying new things. Chop up garlic cloves first (four or so) and add them to the olive oil over medium heat. Chop up the tomatoes (2 cups worth) and onions (one small onion), and tear up the basil (four leaves). Once the garlic has been heated for about five minutes add the onions and tomatoes. Let that cook for a few minutes to get the flavors combined, then take it off the heat.

Lesson # 1 (and my only lesson for this meal): Add fresh basil at the end of the cooking process. Let all the veggies kind of sit together to marry the flavors. I guess cooking the basil a lot probably takes some of that fresh basil flavor out, so adding it at the end of the recipe makes the fresh taste stay fresh. I always thought that cooking basil to death was the way to go, but this turned out nicely.  The recipe I was loosely using said to let it sit until it reaches room temp… I didn’t want to wait that long so I just let it sit while I added the cheese to the warm pasta. Toss the pasta with the cheese so it melts a bit. Then stir in the veggies. Sprinkle some more parm on top if you want.

This dish turned out well, and I even drank some wine with it! Make this often and enjoy!

Wine Selection: Rosemount Syrah

This is a go to wine for me; it’s cheap and tastes pretty good. I had already opened the bottle a few days ago, so I finished it off with my meal. They seemed to pair nicely. I feel like Syrahs (or Shiraz if you’re Australian) is a versatile wine. Or maybe I’m just biased because it’s one of my favorite varietals. It definitely pairs well with tomatoes!