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Fresh Tomato Pasta Two Ways

I began making this blissfully simple fresh tomato pasta dish years ago while I was living in Rome, Italy. Years later, I’m still making this tasty dish that celebrates the vine ripened flavor of garden tomatoes. The great thing about this dish is that there is very little cooking involved. The only cooking entails, sauteing garlic and cooking either your favorite pasta or my zucchini pappardelle (wide zucchini “pasta” noodles). This version is great for grain free and gluten free folks. Whether you are making the pasta or the zucchini version, both are fresh and easy. Enjoy!

  • Author: Eating Enchanted
  • Yield: 4 people 1x
  • Category: Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 lbs. fresh tomatoes (chopped, all juices reserved)
  • 6 cloves Garlic (peeled & thinly sliced)
  • 15 basil leaves (sliced into ribbons (chiffonade))
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves (packed)
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • Salt (to taste)
  • freshly ground pepper (to taste)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Avocado oil (or olive oil)

For the Pasta

  • 12 oz. Penne Pasta (Preferably Jovial Brand Einkorn or Brown Rice Pasta)

For the Zucchini Pappardelle

  • 4 zucchini (medium sized, preferably organic)
  • 2 tsp Avocado oil (or olive oil)

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the chopped fresh tomatoes with all of their juices and the crushed red pepper. Set aside.
  2. Place a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the avocado oil or olive oil. One the oil has warmed a bit, add the sliced garlic and some salt and pepper to the pan. Gently saute the garlic until it is translucent being careful not to let it burn.
  3. Remove frying pan from the heat and pour the hot garlic and oil over the tomatoes and red pepper in the bowl. The oil and the tomato juices help create the sauce for the dish. Let the garlic and tomatoes rest while you begin cooking the pasta or zucchini.

For the Pasta or Zucchini Pasta

  1. For pasta, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and return the pasta to the same pot where it was cooked. Pour the tomato garlic mixture over the top of the pasta, add the spinach leaves and sliced basil. Toss all the ingredients together and allow the heat from the warm pasta to gently wilt the spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!
  2. For zucchini “pasta”
    Trim the ends off of each zucchini. Using a vegetable peeler, make long thin ribbons of zucchini to resemble pappardelle pasta. When you get to the seeds in the center turn the zucchini and make ribbons from the other side. Discard the seedy core of the zucchini. Continue making ribbons of zucchini until all of them are done.
  3. In a large frying pan, heat the 2 tsp of oil over medium high heat. Add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper and saute until translucent. This should take approximately 5 minutes.
  4. Once the zucchini is cooked it should really resemble cooked pasta. Remove the zucchini from the heat and add all of the tomato garlic mixture and the spinach and basil to the pan on top of the cooked zucchini. Gently toss the mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately and Enjoy!


I prefer thinly sliced garlic in most recipes instead of mincing or pressing it. The garlic cooks down faster and easier this way and releases a milder flavor than mincing or crushing because fewer of the essential oils are released when garlic is sliced.
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Fresh Tomato Pasta Two Ways – I began making this blissfully simple fresh tomato pasta dish years ago while I was living in Rome, Italy. Years later, I'm still making this tasty dish that celebrates the vine ripened flavor of garden tomatoes. The great thing about this dish is that there is very little cooking involved. The only cooking entails, sauteing garlic and cooking either your favorite pasta or my zucchini pappardelle (wide zucchini "pasta" noodles). This version is great for grain free and gluten free folks. Whether you are making the pasta or the zucchini version, both are fresh and easy. Enjoy! – fresh tomatoes (chopped, all juices reserved), Garlic (peeled & thinly sliced), basil leaves (sliced into ribbons (chiffonade)), baby spinach leaves (packed), crushed red pepper, Salt (to taste), freshly ground pepper (to taste), Avocado oil (or olive oil), For the Pasta: Penne Pasta (Preferably Jovial Brand Einkorn or Brown Rice Pasta), For the Zucchini Pappardelle : zucchini (medium sized, preferably organic), Avocado oil (or olive oil), , In a large bowl, combine the chopped fresh tomatoes with all of their juices and the crushed red pepper. Set aside.
; Place a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the avocado oil or olive oil. One the oil has warmed a bit, add the sliced garlic and some salt and pepper to the pan. Gently saute the garlic until it is translucent being careful not to let it burn. ; Remove frying pan from the heat and pour the hot garlic and oil over the tomatoes and red pepper in the bowl. The oil and the tomato juices help create the sauce for the dish. Let the garlic and tomatoes rest while you begin cooking the pasta or zucchini. ; For the Pasta or Zucchini Pasta: For pasta, cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and return the pasta to the same pot where it was cooked. Pour the tomato garlic mixture over the top of the pasta, add the spinach leaves and sliced basil. Toss all the ingredients together and allow the heat from the warm pasta to gently wilt the spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!; For zucchini "pasta"
Trim the ends off of each zucchini. Using a vegetable peeler, make long thin ribbons of zucchini to resemble pappardelle pasta. When you get to the seeds in the center turn the zucchini and make ribbons from the other side. Discard the seedy core of the zucchini. Continue making ribbons of zucchini until all of them are done. ; In a large frying pan, heat the 2 tsp of oil over medium high heat. Add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper and saute until translucent. This should take approximately 5 minutes. ; Once the zucchini is cooked it should really resemble cooked pasta. Remove the zucchini from the heat and add all of the tomato garlic mixture and the spinach and basil to the pan on top of the cooked zucchini. Gently toss the mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately and Enjoy!; ; – – Dinner – Lunch – Main Dish – Side Dish – Italian – Dairy Free – Gluten Free – Healthy Comfort Food – Vegan – Vegetarian