Friday, November 5, 2010

30 Minute Weeknight Meals: Pasta Pomodoro

As a child, my favorite meal was spaghetti. I ordered spaghetti from Bob's Big Boy, spaghetti from Ihop, wouldn't agree to a family outing unless spaghetti was on the menu, and celebrated every birthday at The Spaghetti Factory. As I grew older, I started to experiment and fall in love with other pasta dishes [which is why there are so many variations on my site, I will switch it up soon I promise], and Pasta Pomodoro remains one of my favorite to date.

This dish is light, yet fulfilling with or without the addition of meat. Don't let the simplicity of the ingredients and this recipe fool you, it is highly flavorsome. If you're looking for a quick, delicious, healthy weeknight meal that can be prepared on a budget, try this on for size!
I recommend using fresh Parmesan Cheese in lieu of the powdered variety, or even Parmigiano Reggiano if you want to splurge. Also I find that fresh tomatoes work much better versus canned tomatoes. I actually took the recommendation of one of the reviews and purchased Campari Tomatoes instead of the Roma Tomatoes the recipe called for. The substitution of Campari Tomatoes made for a rich, fresher tasting sauce. 
 
Pasta Pomodoro [Adapted from All Recipes.Com]
Ingredients
2 (8 ounce) packages angel hair pasta
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Campari Tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 (10.75 ounce) can low-sodium chicken broth
crushed red pepper to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Directions:
  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 minutes or until al dente; drain.
  2. Pour olive oil in a large deep skillet over high-heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken broth; simmer for about 8 minutes.
  3. Stir in red pepper, black pepper, basil and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer for about 5 more minutes and serve topped with grated Parm cheese.

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12 comments:

  1. you should try arrabiata sauce. i also grew up loving pasta. linguine remains my favorite type, but now i love arrabiata sauce. it's spicy and garlicky. and aglio olio. yum!

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  2. mmmmm that looks so delicious! I need you to come cook at my house sometime lol!

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  3. I like the lightness of the dish, a must try. Thanks.

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  4. This is AWESOME, I'm definitely going to try this...maybe next week! I love that it's vegetarian friendly & economical! Thanks Nikole!

    Peace,
    Monique
    http://sofullsista.blogspot.com

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  5. yummmmmmmmm! i tried it and it tastes sooo good

    missdeeplyrooted.blogspot.com

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  6. The funny thing is that I found and made the same recipe from allrecipes.com a couple of weeks ago
    It's now my new favorite pasta. Love it.

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  7. Thanks for posting this! Just tried it tonight and I HeARt it! Nice and light! And it doesn't hurt that angel hair is my most fav pasta. I truly enjoy your blog and I thank you for keeping up with it.

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  8. Girl you must have been near my plate at the Olive Garden last Friday! This was so nice that I had to visit their website to search for the recipe. Great sharing and happy jewelry making! Sky's the limit!

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  9. Hi again - FYI, just finished cooking this and I LOVED IT! Probably will post pics some time next week...

    Peace,
    Monique
    http://sofullsista.blogspot.com

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  10. I substituted the campari tomatoes for Grape tomatoes, added fresh spinach and cooked with whole wheat spaghetti. I then chopped some fresh chives for garnish. Delicious.

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  11. This looks to good i HAVE to try it soon!

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