Cherry Tomato and Basil Sauce from Ellen Green
close up of cooked sauce
For our first ever special guest recipe, Ellen Green has shared a simple yet delicious sauce that she uses when she has a surplus of cherry tomatoes. If you have followed our facebook page, you will know in September prior to our first killing frost, I harvested a ton of green cherry tomatoes. Well they are now ripening in my layered box and it was time for me to try and share this great recipe!
Ingredients
Simple ingredients
Yes this is another simple recipe and one that cooks up very quickly. Ellen's recipe called for fresh parsley and basil - I didn't have parsley so I used dry. It still was very tasty! I also used dried oregano and pepper flakes but everything else was fresh. The tomatoes were all from our garden and were ripened in a bag vs on the vine as the season had ended. I think they were a bit more acidic then those I picked ripe during the summer so you may want to add a bit of sugar if you think it will help.
Ingredients
3 to 4 cups of Ripe Cherry Tomatoes
1 to 2 Tablespoons of Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of hot pepper flakes (optional if you don't like spice or add more if you do)
1 to 2 teaspoons of Oregano
3 Tablespoons Parsley, chopped if using fresh
3 Tablespoons Basil, chopped if using fresh
4 to 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese to top sauce when serving
Cooked pasta of your choice
Ingredients
3 to 4 cups of Ripe Cherry Tomatoes
1 to 2 Tablespoons of Garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of hot pepper flakes (optional if you don't like spice or add more if you do)
1 to 2 teaspoons of Oregano
3 Tablespoons Parsley, chopped if using fresh
3 Tablespoons Basil, chopped if using fresh
4 to 5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese to top sauce when serving
Cooked pasta of your choice
Step 1 - Gathering and chopping
Chopping Basil
With any recipe, you will need to gather all the ingredients and get them together to prepare the recipe. I first washed, sorted and de-stemmed all cherry tomatoes. I washed, dried and chopped fresh basil - I ended up with a bit more than the 3 Tablespoons but I like basil :) If using fresh garlic you will need to shell it and mince it as well to add to the sauce. All the other ingredients were dried so I measured and set aside to add when needed. This is also the time to start heating your pasta water so that you can finish the sauce and pasta at basically the same time. If the sauce has to cook a bit longer it will be fine as the longer it cooks the more the flavors will blend.
Step 2 - Starting the cooking
Cooking herbs and tomatoes
I am not sure if I was supposed to cut all the tomatoes in half, so I didn't to see what would happen. I first heated the oil over medium heat in a saute pan adding the garlic, oregano, hot pepper flakes and tomatoes to it. Stir to combine and let cook for 3 to 4 minutes. I ended up cooking it a bit longer as I wasn't sure about the whole tomatoes cooking down so probably cooked it more towards 7 to 8 minutes.
Step 3 - Adding the Basil and Parsley
Parsley and Basil added to sauce
Once the tomatoes and herbs have been cooking for a bit, it is time to add the basil and parsley to the pan. I did this all at once and gently stirred the mixture. I also at this point started to gently press down on all the tomatoes that hadn't burst open at this point. Most were very soft and the skins gave away very quickly. Once this was done I let the sauce simmer for about another 10 minutes or until the liquid reduced by 1/3.
Step 4 - Time to enjoy the garden bounty!
Once the pasta has cooked it is time to serve this delicious Sauce! I opted for regular spaghetti as that is what I had in the cupboard. Ellen said this recipe is also fantastic served over spaghetti squash... I just may have to try that next time! It is a fantastic blend of garlic, basil and cherry tomatoes and the hot pepper flakes add just a bit of zing to make this an original dish that is perfect for a quick meal on hot summer nights!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family did and remember if you would like to be featured on our blog and facebook page with one of your recipes, please just send it along to us and we will pass it on! Happy Cooking everyone!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family did and remember if you would like to be featured on our blog and facebook page with one of your recipes, please just send it along to us and we will pass it on! Happy Cooking everyone!