Summer Garden Pasta

Aug 29, 2011

By Katie Hunhoff

In my opinion, nothing smells better than tomatoes and basil fresh from the garden. This weekend a friend gave me some fresh basil, and I had onions and tomatoes that needed to be picked so I threw together those three ingredients to make a tasty and fresh pasta sauce. I didn't include garlic because I wanted the tomatoes to be the star of the dish, but it would be a nice addition. 

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 small onions
1/2 cup fresh basil
6 medium tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese to taste 

Saute onions for 5 minutes in the olive oil at medium to low heat. Add basil, tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and mix. Continue cooking on medium to low heat, uncovered, until the mixture condenses into a thick sauce, usually it takes about an hour.  Mix with the pasta of your choice and top with shredded parmesan or piave cheese, if desired. Serves four.