May 12, 2010

Summer Garden Pasta

cheese, Healthy Recipes, Italian, main dish, Monday, One-Dish Dinners, pasta, Salad, stovetop, summer, tomatoes, Vegetarian Recipes

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35 ratings

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 3 hours
Servings: 4
Partner: Herb French Bread

On a hot summer day, a glass of iced tea and pasta with a delightful fresh tomato sauce just hit the spot.

Ingredients

6 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon each salt and sugar
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 ounces spaghetti
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1

Combine the tomatoes, green onions, parsley, basil, wine vinegar, salt, sugar and pepper in a large bowl; mix well.
2

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Saute garlic in hot olive oil until golden brown. Remove skillet from heat and discard the garlic.
3

Pour the garlic oil over the tomato mixture and toss gently to coat. Cover tomato mixture with plastic wrap. Chill for 3 hours or longer.
4

Cook pasta using package directions; drain well. Place in a warm serving bowl.
5

Add chilled tomato mixture to pasta and toss to mix. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve with crusty French bread, if desired.

Grandma's Secret Trick

If you got her talking about "grocery store parsley," you could get Grandma worked into a lather. Her grocery only carried curly leaf parsley. Grandma preferred flat-leaf parsley for the stronger, more complex flavor that tastes something like celery leaves. She finally began growing it herself, at the feet of her rose bushes, where the dappled shade was just right.