My favourite pasta recipe of all time

With summer coming to an end, this 'go to' pasta recipe is a favourite in our house. Simple, quick and tasty — it's all about celebrating the fresh tomato! 🍅

As summer draws to an end and littlies head back to school, something special happens in the garden each year — tomatoes begin to crop.

Albeit a late and slow year this year due to the cooler summer, my modest veggie garden is beginning to produce flavour-packed, luscious red and yellow tomatoes. And let’s be honest, there is nothing better than the smell and taste of a home-grown tomato.

A favourite recipe in our house is a pasta that is all about celebrating these fresh, red gems.

It’s a no-cook sauce, packed with flavour and ready in just 11 mins… the time it takes to cook the spaghetti:

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil.

2. Select your pasta. Spaghetti or linguine work best as they soak up loads of sauce. I generally allow for 80-100g of dried pasta per person.

3. Into a large mixing bowl place:

   1. 1 clove of crushed garlic

   2. As many fresh tomatoes as you can find and spare — roughly diced

   3. 100g of ‘Danish feta’ (this is the smooth one from the counter at the deli, not the crumbly one)

   4. One handful or more of fresh basil, chopped

   5. A good lashing of olive oil — don’t be shy

   6. Pinch of salt

4. Mix the bowl of ingredients. The feta will ‘melt’ and the salt will begin to macerate the tomatoes forming a tasty fresh sauce.

5. Note: you can also add salted capers, diced black olives or even anchovies which all give an optional hit of flavour.

6. Cook your pasta to the time on the packet, then strain thoroughly and tip the hot pasta straight into the ‘sauce’ bowl.

7. Toss the pasta so it gets completely coated in the flavours of the tomato, basil, garlic and more. Because the pasta is hot, it will also absorb some of the flavours into the pasta. The heat of the hot pasta will also send an incredible aroma into your kitchen!

8. To serve, heap pasta into a generous bowl, then spoon extra sauce over the top. Finish with grated parmesan, fresh basil or chilli to taste.

This is a quick, easy and incredibly tasty recipe that we simply love. It’s also special for us, because we can only make it when tomatoes are in season and in our garden.

PS — If you don’t have tomatoes growing, use a few punnets of tasty cherry or mini Roma tomatoes. Tomatoes also grow well in pots in a sunny position, so consider this if you live in an apartment or rental.

Leave a comment below and let me know how you go with this recipe and if you enjoy it as much as we do!