ONE POT WONDER TOMATO BASIL PASTA
(taken from www.apronstringsblog.com/one-pot-wonder-tomato-basil-pasta-recipe)
Serves 4-6
12 ounces linguine pasta
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes with liquid
1 medium sweet onion, cut in thin strip *I skipped this
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced *I used crushed garlic from Trader Joes
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons EVOO
1 bunch basil, diced
Parmesan cheese for garnish
1. Place pasta, tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a large pot. Pour in vegetable broth. Sprinkle on top the pepper flakes and oregano. Drizzle top with oil.
2. Cover pot and bring to boil. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so. Cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add basil leaves and stir pasta several times to distribute the liquid in the bottom of the pot evenly throughout the pasta as you are serving. Serve with parmesan cheese.
I also paired this with a a salad:
SAVORY PEAR POMEGRANATE GORGONZOLA PASTA
(taken from www.serenabakessimplyfromscratch.com/2014/01/savory-pear-pomegranate-gorgonzola.html)
1/3 cup while balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup EVOO
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/2 pound baby salad greens
2 whole red anjou pears, sliced thin *I used 1 bosc pear instead
1/4 cup gorgonzola or bleu cheese, crumbed *I was more generous ;)
1 whole pomegranate, seeded
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped *pecans would be okay too
1. In a blender, combine white balsamic vinegar, EVOO, water, sea salt, pepper, and honey. Blend until creamy. *I found this was A LOT of dressing. I used it for additional salads two-three more times.
2. Add salad greens and pears to large bowl and toss with desired amount of dressing to coat pears to prevent browning.
3. Add gorgonzola, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts. Toss well and serve.
