Ingredients
Method
- Prepare your vegetables. Wash the freshly harvested tomatoes and basil. Chop the tomatoes, dice the onion, mince the garlic, and roughly chop the basil.Bring everything together. Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet. Toss everything together, adding a splash of reserved pasta water as needed until the tomatoes lightly coat the noodles.Finish with basil. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the fresh basil and Parmesan. Taste and add a little more salt or pepper if needed.Serve it right away with extra Parmesan on top.
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions. Before draining, scoop out about one cup of pasta water and set it aside.
- Start the sauce. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3–4 minutes, until it begins to soften.
- Add the garlic and tomatoes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds before adding the chopped tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if you're using them.
- Let the tomatoes cook down. Cook for about 5–7 minutes. You aren't looking for a perfectly smooth sauce. Let some tomatoes break down while leaving plenty of fresh chunks.
- Bring everything together. Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet. Toss everything together, adding a splash of reserved pasta water as needed until the tomatoes lightly coat the noodles.
- Finish with basil. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the fresh basil and Parmesan. Taste and add a little more salt or pepper if needed.
- Serve it right away with extra Parmesan on top.
Notes
The nice thing about this recipe is that it doesn't need to be exactly the same every time.
Have zucchini ready to harvest? Slice it and sauté it with the onion.
Have a pepper that needs picked? Dice it and throw it in.
Cherry tomatoes can replace larger tomatoes. Fresh oregano or parsley can join the basil. You could add grilled chicken if you want something a little heartier.
That's one of the things I've come to appreciate most about cooking from the garden. Instead of deciding exactly what dinner needs to be and then buying every ingredient, sometimes you start by looking at what's ready outside.
A handful of tomatoes might not seem like much when you're standing in the garden. Bring them inside, add some garlic and basil, boil a pot of pasta, and suddenly those tomatoes you watched grow all summer are dinner.
There’s something wonderfully simple about that.