Garlic Pasta - No Meat Monday Recipe

No Meat Monday Recipe - Garlic Pasta

Chas and I were working on pasta sauce and canning tomatoes recently and got involved in a discussion about No Meat Pasta dishes (I like meat in may pasta and he prefers vegetarian.)  After a while we ended up experimenting with this recipe I found in Cooking Light magazine from April 2004.

I felt it was perfect to share as the herbs and vegetables to make it are perfectly in season right now, so you can try it out.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 5 cups chopped plum tomatoes (about 2 pounds) (You can use two cans diced if you don't have fresh)
• 6 cups hot cooked campanella (about 12 ounces uncooked pasta) we actually used Ziti
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add minced garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes; cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Add pasta, basil, cheese, salt, and pepper, tossing gently to combine.

If you like Garlic, but do not have time to mince and saute, I recommend using the Garlic and Herb Combination Herb Mix.  Not only does it make a great pasta sauce, but a wonderful garlic bread too!