Like many cooks, I like growing my own vegetables and herbs. One thing you will always see in my garden is an abundance of fresh basil, tomatoes and bell peppers.
I also grow parsley and green beans, and I can hot peppers, but I usually just buy them at Scarpaci's.
I shortened the name of this recipe, because I used to call it Tomato Basil Garlic Parmesan Pasta, which is kind of long but describes the dish in its entirety.
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Bowtie pasta dresses up a meal of Tomato Basil Pasta. The dish used to be called Tomato Basil Garlic Parmesan Pasta, which describes the dish in its entirety.
I saw pictures of something similar to this dish, but this is my own version, so I kind of made it up. What I was trying for was like a pesto pasta - I just started experimenting and came up with this recipe.
I started making this dish for my mother several years ago, and it became an instant hit.
It quickly became one of my fiancee Paula Nuelle's favorites, along with all the girls at the nursing home where she works.
Fact Box
Tomato Basil Pasta
1 pound bowtie pasta (cooked)
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup fresh chopped basil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 large tomatoes, diced (you can used diced canned tomatoes)
2 teaspoons seasoned salt (Salad Supreme is better but expensive)
1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 cup of Parmesan or Romano cheese
In a large skillet on medium heat, add olive oil and pasta. Toss until pasta is well-coated. Stir in all the rest of the ingredients except for the cheese, and simmer for 10 minutes. Top with cheese, and serve.
They beg her to bring stuff in - they all enjoy my cooking.
Actually, any lunch she takes I usually make, but maybe three times a week I send enough to share.
Paula only has to cook when I get lazy. When I get on those stretches of midnights the Trib puts me on, that's when she ends up cooking.
I often tell Paula that it's the presentation that makes recipes look great.
Well, it must have sunk in because she had me use bowtie pasta this time, and I must say it did look great. Before, I would just use anything in this recipe, like spaghetti or springs.
You can use any pasta, but the bowties really prettied it up. It really makes the look of the dish.