Cherry Tomato and Basil Pasta

By barbyrabaker

Embrace the cooler fall days with a hearty bowl of pasta. Try this back-to-basics tomato sauce over whole grain linguine

Ingredients

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small red or yellow onion or a whole shallot, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• About a dozen big basil leaves, julienned (stack them, roll them up the long way, then slice thinly across the short way)
• Small handful of other fresh herbs, minced (optional)
• 8 ounces whole grain pasta
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta.

In the 9 to 10 minutes it takes to cook dried pasta, sauté onion or shallot in the olive oil until softened. Add the garlic and crushed pepper flakes. Sauté about a minute until the garlic is fragrant.

Raise the heat and add the tomatoes. To easily halve cherry tomatoes, arrange them on a round plastic storage container lid, invert a second lid and hold gently but firmly over the tomatoes then slice between the lids with a serrated knife. Heat through until the tomatoes break down a little and begin to bubble.

Stir in the basil and optional herbs near the end of the cooking time. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce in the skillet.