Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula

Last night was one of those nights where I didn't have anything planned for dinner and was hoping that we had enough food in the fridge that I could make something worthwhile. I was in the mood for pasta (per usual) and knew that we had some leftover arugula and cherry tomatoes. I was about to wing it when I thought that maybe I should try googling "pasta + cherry tomatoes + arugula". I did just that and I ended up discovering this recipe from July 2008 that was in The New York Times. It was just what I was hoping to find - garlic, tomatoes, arugula, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese - doesn't get much better than this!

You Will Need:

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved if small, quartered if large
• 1 plump garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups fresh arugula, coarsely chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 pound bow tie, penne, rigatoni or whatever other pasta you have on hand
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (I used a bit more than this for topping)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Here We Go:

• Combine the cherry tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, arugula, basil and olive oil in large bowl and stir all ingredients together
• Let sit for 15 minutes and then adjust seasoning to taste
• While above ingredients are sitting, bring a large pot of water to boil and add pasta
• Cook al dente, until pasta is firm to the bite (Cooking time varies depending on type of pasta)
• Drain, toss with tomatoes mixture and 1/4 cup Parmesan
• Serve in bowls and top with more Parmesan if desired (I did!)



Serves 4
Happy Feasting!