Tomato and basil pasta
This simple dish is real comfort food and a perfect way to get those veggies into the kids without any complaints! Packed with one and a half kilos of cherry tomatoes it is full of tasty goodness that will make it a family favourite.
Ingredients.
- 500g Penne pasta.
- 6 cloves of garlic. This can be added to taste, we love garlic.
- 1 and ½ kilos of cherry tomatoes.
- 150g of salted butter.
- 150g parmesan cheese.
- 30g fresh basil leaves.
- 200g bacon lardons. (optional)
Method.
Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and then put about two-thirds of your butter in a large pan on medium heat and melt the butter. Crush the garlic into the melted butter and let it cook a little. Add your bacon lardons and cook through. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir occasionally. Put a large pan of water on to boil ready for your pasta and add the pasta when the water is boiling. Once your tomatoes are softening nicely, finely chop the basil leaving a few small leaves to garnish, and add to the tomatoes.
Finely grate the parmesan cheese, leaving a little bit for shavings to go on top of your pasta. Add half of the parmesan into the pan with the tomatoes and stir in. This will now be thickening into a nice sauce. Take your pasta sauce off the heat. Drain your pasta once cooked and stir the remaining butter through. Once the pasta is coated add the remaining parmesan and stir thoroughly until the pasta is completely coated. Add your pasta a bit at a time to your tomato sauce taking care to stir it in to make sure that it is well coated. Your pasta is now ready to dish out. We like to garnish ours with some parmesan shavings and some fresh basil leaves to add freshness and make it look pretty.
