About the Chef

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Oregon, United States
My name is Alexia. I have lived in NE Oregon for most of my life, and love it here because it's where my family is. I have 3 younger sisters, 3 younger brothers, and a million cousins. I live with my husband and our three boys, and our dog Norman. My family is Greek/ Cajun/ Mexican, so food is very important to us;-) I love cooking and creating new recipes, my kids, my family, wine, painting, and everything retro! I am a dialysis technician. I love my job and my patients. I am currently studying to be a nurse. I love school, and so far it has been good to me... Dean's List or Honor Roll each term! Between work, school, my husband, our kids and all of their activities and adventures, I don't have a ton of time to blog. I love sharing recipes, so I make time for it when I can. You can follow me on Pinterest for more ideas and inspiration (thanks to those of you that have pinned my recipes!): pinterest.com/lexisamom .

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Tomato Basil Pasta- Salad or Main Course



Stewie loves to help me cook.  I love when he helps me cook<3 He loves noodles and tomatoes, so this recipe is perfect.  Simple, healthy, easy, fast, and cheap, + it will go with anything depending on which type of dressing you use.  We had it last night with grilled salmon.


This dish can be served hot or cold, left over or fresh.  It can be the main course (We like it with tuna or warmed up chicken) or a side dish.

Ingredients:
1 pkg whole wheat pasta (We use spaghetti because Stewart thinks it's fun to twirl the noodles)
Red, yellow, and orange cherry tomatoes
Fresh basil
Fresh marjoram
EVOO
Balsamic vinegar (You could also use lemon juice or any other vinegar, balsamic is our favorite though)
Salt and pepper
Parmesan, feta, or blue cheese crumbles

In a large bowl, have your child squish, with his hands, all of the tomatoes so the juice comes out.  Don't smash completely, just "pop" them.  Then, he can tear apart the basil and marjoram leaves.

Boil the noodles al dente.  Drain and add to the bowl.  Drizzle olive oil and vinegar, add salt and pepper and toss.  Serve with cheese crumbled on top.

To make this dish more "grown up", half the cherry tomatoes instead of squishing.  Instead of tearing the herbs, do chiffonade ribbons. Add sliced scallions or shallots, and drizzle with a garlic-y vinaigrette.

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