YUMMMMMMM!

I must admit I do love my Cooking Light magazine. I have found some AMAZING dishes, and last night, I just found another keeper. For those of you who get the magazine, the recipe is on page 138 of the March,2009 magazine. For those of you who don't - well - here ya go. Oh yeah, and this photo is theirs, not mine. Unfortunately I'm not that talented of a shutterbug.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs plum tomatoes, peeled and halved lengthwise

3 tblspns EVOO, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

6 quarts water

12 oz uncooked spaghetti

1/4 cup minced fresh basil

6 tablespoons grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Squeeze juice and seeds from tomato halves into a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, reserving juices; discard seets. Finely chop tomatoes.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large non-stickk skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan: cook 30 seconds or just intil garlic begins to brown, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, reserved juices, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high; cook 15 minutes, or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally.

3. Bring 6 quarts water and remaining 2 tablespoons salt to a boil in an 8-quart pot. Add pasta to pot; stir. Cover; return water to a boil. Uncover and cook 8 minutes or until pasta is almost al dente. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.

4. Add hot pasta and reserved cooking water to tomato mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until sauce is thick and pasta is al dente, tossing to combine. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with basil; toss. Place 1 cup pasta mixture on each of 6 plates. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon of remaining oil; sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese. Yield: 6 servings.

Calories 313

We actually changed it up a little - instead of the parm, we added little mozzerella balls, which we chopped into 4 pieces each, and about 1 minute before the dish was done. It added a lot of chewy deliciousness to the dish. Also, we didn't really follow the pasta cooking instructions. We just boiled water, threw in the pasta, and then strained it.

It was seriously one of the best pasta dishes I've ever had - my husband said if he had ordered this in a restaurant, he would have been thrilled.

Also, it took about 40 minutes from start to finish. Try it tonight! Do you have a favorite recipe? Link me up - I'm always looking for new ones! :)

UPDATE: EVOO = Extra Virgin Olive Oil