Tasty Easy to Make Pasta Dish for the Family

    Here is another easy dish to make for your family.  It has only 6 ingredients, some spices and cooks up so fast you will be happy you tried this one.  If you get this meal started before the family gets home you will be sure to hear the wonderful comments about how great the house smells as they walk through the door.

This is what my sauce looks like right before I add my pasta.

    To make this dish you will first start by boiling some water for your pasta.  You can use whole grain pasta (either linguini or spaghetti) which is a healthier option and tastes great in this recipe.  Once your water is boiling you can start heating up some olive oil in a pan.  You want to use enough to make a sauce to mix with your pasta.  I usually make sure the oil is about 1/4 inch deep in the pan.  As the oil is heating, I add my pasta to the boiling water and begin chopping into fine pieces 4 garlic cloves.  It sounds like too much garlic, but once you brown it in your olive oil it won't be overwhelming and it tastes great in this dish.  You also don't want to use a garlic press as it makes the cloves more like a paste, you want small chopped pieces.  Add them to the oil and let them brown but you don't want them to burn so keep a close eye on them.  As the garlic cloves are browning I chop about a teaspoon amount of red onion, also finely chopped, and add to the pan.  Since it is summer here in the US, it's a great time to use some fresh basil from your garden which I also chop up and add about 1/2 teaspoon to my pan and reserve the rest to add after the pasta is done cooking.  After I add my basil to the pan I add some black pepper, red pepper flakes and some sea salt (to taste).  Then I add a few quartered cherry tomatoes (fresh from the garden) to the pan (watch out for some splashing) and stir all my ingredients together.  By now my pasta should be fully cooked (about 10 minutes have passed) then I will thoroughly drain and add to my olive oil pan (splashing should be a minimum if you fully drained your pasta).  At this point I completely mix my olive oil sauce with my pasta. Then it's time to serve up the pasta.  I also like to add a slice of whole grain bread on the side so as we eat we can dip the bread into the olive oil (it is very tasty).  And now it is ready to eat!

    This meal is a healthier alternative than going out to eat because you control the portion served and the ingredients you use.  Once you taste this dish, you will want to make it again.  It's so easy to make and so delicious to eat.

Smells great, looks great and best of all tastes great!