Tomato & Basil Fettucini

Tomato & Basil Fettucini

This is one of my favourite dishes to make for a quick lunch. I've been using fresh zucchinis often because they are always available at the shops but today I was craving the taste of basil.

There are only five ingredients needed to make this dish; fresh field tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, a few cloves of garlic, fettucini pasta and parmesan cheese. I actually prefer using fresh tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes because I find that canned tomatoes taste quite tart. This dish has a subtler flavour. 

My sons love this dish, especially my youngest who is only 11 months old.  I even gave my baby some fresh basil leaves as finger food as I noticed he loved eating random tree leaves when we spent some time in a garden/park. I learned over the years that even the fussiest little eaters love pasta. There is just something about pasta and kids.

My Messy Baby Enjoying His Lunch

The following recipe will feed two people.

Ingredients

 

• 2 fresh field tomatoes - chopped to small pieces
• A bunch fresh basil leaves - washed
• 4 cloves of garlic - minced
• A few handfuls of fettucini pasta (other type of pasta) - cook following the instruction 
• Parmesan cheese for garnish 

• Olive Oil
• Salt

Method

1. Start cooking the fetuccini/pasta following the packet instructions. 

Cook pasta in salted and oiled boiling water according to the packet instructions.
Stir the pasta sometimes so that it won't stick together.

2. Heat a good amount of olive oil in a non stick pan and heat up the pan on a stove on medium heat. Cook the minced garlic until fragrant (be careful not to overcook and burn the garlic), add the tomatoes, keep stirring until the tomatoes become soft and sauce-like. Add salt and stir well.

Cook the minced garlic and tomatoes until it reaches a sauce like consistency.

 

2. Add about 3/4 amount of the basil leaves into the pan and stir until the leaves are just wilted. Insert cooked pasta immediately and mix well.

Add basil leaves into the pan and cook until the leaves are just wilted.

Add the cooked pasta and mix well.

 

3.  Serve pasta on bowls, sprinkle with some fresh basil leaves and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!