Warning: this meal contains a lot of garlic! Although this is good for your heart, it’s disastrous for your breath.
As you’ve probably already guessed, the Pasta Fasta recipe gets its name from its quick prep time. The recipe recommends you prepare the dressings in the moring -perhaps before you leave for work- which leaves you the painless task of boiling the noodles and combining them with the dressing at dinnertime.
Ingredients:
- 4 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped fresh basil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Rotini or Penne noodle (enough for 4-6 people)
- 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
Prep:
In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, garlic, oil, and salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate.
Dinnertime:
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add the tomato dressing and cheese and mix well. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Finally, place in a pasta bowl and serve immediately.
Notes:
The original recipe called for enough ingredients for 2 people. I ended up doubling the recipe to suit 4 people and I ended up having a lot left over.
Instead of adding mozzarella cheese, I misread the recipe and used Parmesan cheese instead! Woops. It still tasted wonderful, but now I’m curious as to how it tastes with the right kind of cheese.
Garlic Bread!
Another speedy recipe. To make garlic bread you will need:
- 1 baguette
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
Cut the baguette horizontally into thirds. Cut each third vertically into 4 breadsticks - you’ll end up with 12 pieces of garlic bread. Mix remaining ingredients and spread onto each stick. Broil breadsticks until golden-brown.
