Tomato Basil Pasta

There are some foods that you have been making for so long, you don't even remember the first time you made it. When I first learned to cook I usually just stuck with the basics. I could make anything from a recipe, and I could make pasta.  When I first started to stray from recipe cooking, I remember my dad taught me that you can always add some more of an ingredient, but if you put in too much you can't take it out. Those are the words I still live by when I cook.

When first learning to cook, I found that it was easiest for me to work with Italian flavors. The tomato/basil/garlic combination of flavors was simple but so good. It was easy to work with those flavors and build off from there. Still to this day, when I don't know what flavors to cook with, that is my go to. Today, I am going to share with you a basic pasta dish. What is special about this is not that it is mind-blowingly delicious, or unusual, but that I have been making this pasta for as long as I have been cooking food.




What you need:



1 lb box of pasta
1 cup shredded or fresh mozzarella
1 bunch fresh basil
5 cloves of garlic, diced
4 medium vine tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
Cook pasta according to instructions on the box.
While pasta is cooking dice tomatoes, roughly chop the basil, and dice garlic.



Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, and roast garlic until it just starts to turn golden.
Add tomatoes and basil, and cook until tomatoes are soft and the basil just starts to wilt.



Top with salt and pepper to taste, and keep warm until the pasta is al dente.
Drain the pasta, and stir in olive oil to coat the pasta.
Mix in the tomato basil sauce and cheese.









This dish features the most basic, and classic Italian colors and flavors. Its so simple, but incredibly fresh and delicious. The tomatoes were warm and juicy and the basil was so pungent and fresh. The garlic was the perfect compliment to the flavors and the mozzarella was chewy and melty. Personally, I do prefer fresh mozzarella, however cooking on a budget means you need to sacrifice at times. I find that with few and basic ingredients, that it really allows each element to shine on its own. This pasta tasted like it was straight out of an Italian restaurant.

What is your go to meal to make? Do you enjoy cooking with Italian flavors as much as I do?

Bye from the Veggie Side!