Friday, September 18, 2009

Grab Bag Friday: Tomato Basil Pasta with a Kick

It's been an insanely busy couple weeks with school starting up, and the last thing I want to do is think about cooking. Just in case you're in the same boat, here's a super-easy, super-tasty pasta recipe that I like to fall back on. I think I saw it a few years ago on a show like Oprah or Rachel Ray. :)

What you need:
  • Frozen ravioli or tortellini, or even better, fresh ravioli ready to be cooked
  • Olive oil
  • 1 pint baby tomatoes
  • Basil (preferably fresh...one big handful, chopped)
  • 1 chili pepper
What you do:
  1. Pour 2-ish tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and turn the heat to medium.
  2. Chop up the chili pepper into tiny pieces and add it to the oil. (Use 1/2 of the pepper if you don't want it too zesty.)
  3. Cut each tomato in half and toss those in the pan. Turn the heat down to low.
  4. Cook the pasta according to the directions while the tomatoes simmer.
  5. A minute or two before the pasta's done, toss the chopped basil into the tomato mixture.
  6. Serve the tomato "sauce" on top of the pasta. Top with Parmesan if you like.
  7. Enjoy!
You can add garlic or onions or anything else you like, I suppose. We usually just keep it simple.

(Photo by DecciaBodden)

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