Deliciously Fresh Tomato and Basil Pasta
Brilliant use of your home-grown tomatoes in this rich, filling and healthy tomato and basil pasta. There’s nothing like a fresh tomato, straight from the vine. That nostalgic scent and earthy sweet undertones. Combine them to make this unforgettable dinner to delight!
To create this delicious tomato pasta, you’ll need about 500g of fresh tomatoes and we’d recommend about 5 leaves of basil to transform the dish.
Tomatoes come in different varieties and that can change the flavour of the dish. It often comes down to how much water they have; when you cut them open, do they produce lots of water or are they dry? Change it up by alternating the variety, you’ll have a different taste each time! Basil also comes in different varieties too, some are milder, some have a bit more of a kick! Using fresh leaves to flavour the sauce makes the dish truly spectacular.
Ingredients List
80g of pasta per person
500g of fresh tomatoes
Chopped mushrooms
5 leaves of fresh basil
200ml of beef/chicken/vegetable stock
2 cloves of garlic
½ an onion
Dash of oil
Cheese (parmesan works well, cheddar and fresh mozzarella work too)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional – pepperoni or salami to give this pasta a salty and meaty flavour.
Optional – 1 tsp of paprika to give the dish a rich and subtle spice.
Growing Tips & Tricks
When harvesting tomatoes, simply pull them. If they don’t give way easily, they might not be ripe.
When harvesting basil leaves, cut the stem above a pair of leaves as this encourages growth.
Method:
- Put the pasta on to boil and add salt to the water. Doing this first means the sauce and pasta will be ready at the same time.
- Heat a little oil in a frying pan and put on a medium heat. Chop the onions into small pieces and add to the oiled pan. Stir and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Chop the garlic into fine pieces and then add to the pan.
- (Optional) Chop your pepperoni or salami and add to the pan.
- Cut your fresh tomatoes into small pieces. Add them, and the juice, to the pan and stir.
- Allow to cook for about 3 minutes. Add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, then stir. The sauce will be relatively sweet with the tomatoes, add a touch of salt and pepper to reduce the sweetness, bringing the rich flavour and moisture out of the tomatoes. You can add your paprika here if you like.
- Add your chopped mushrooms and then add your stock. Cook on a medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Whilst this is cooking, chop your basil leaves into really small even pieces, roughly square. You want them to evenly distribute through your dish and add to the rich flavour. Add and stir, cooking for a further few minutes.
- Once the pasta is cooked, (you can check by picking a piece out and seeing if it has a subtle bite to it). Drain the pasta and add to the sauce, continuing to cook for a further few minutes.
- The pasta is ready to serve. Add cheese on top for a final flourish.
And you’re done! Share your rich tomato pasta with friends and family.
Feeling Fancy?
An optional step, you can turn this into a pasta bake!
- Add a layer of cheese and breadcrumbs to the top of your pasta and pop the pan into the oven on 180 for 5-8 minutes.
- This will cook off some extra moisture and melt the cheese. Perfect to make the dish go further.
