Creamy Tomato Basil Fettuccine is the perfect way to use those summer garden tomatoes! This simple pasta is on the table in just 25 minutes and is loaded with fresh summer flavors. It’s healthy, fast and easy, and kid-friendly. An easy dinner for any weeknight, vegetarian too!
The Garden Bounty
It’s mid August and our garden is overgrowing with all the summer favorites – tomatoes, zucchini and loads of basil. This dinner dents the produce pile on my counter! If you don’t garden, the farmer’s market has is all too! The juiciness of the tomatoes and a little cream makes the simplest pink sauce with tons of basil flavor.
Instructions
In the time it takes to boil water and cook your pasta, the sauce can be made before tossing it all together. While the water starts to boil, set a second large pan over medium heat and saute your onion and zucchini. Zucchini is another garden veggie that I end up throwing in everything, it’s just such a mega-producer! When they start to brown, add 4 cups of chopped tomatoes and garlic. Any types of tomatoes are fine here, even cherry tomatoes sliced in half or left whole. Add cream to form the sauce. It combines with the juice of the tomatoes, giving you a silky pink sauce, thickening as it reduces. Add in a handful of garden basil and toss with your drained pasta and Parmesan cheese.
Adding Protein and Substitutions
I kept this recipe simple and vegetarian, but you could easily add grilled shrimp or sliced Italian sausage. This simple cream sauce is delicious year round! Try it with different veggies or proteins, our favorite combination is Creamy Farfalle Pasta with Prosciutto and Peas.
Tomato Basil Fettuccine is an easy weeknight favorite that just screams summer. With school just around the corner, in whatever crazy form it takes this year (sigh, 2020), we are trying to savor every minute of summer, every tomato, every corn on the cob, every slice of watermelon, and every roasted marshmallow!
Recipes from the Garden!
- Garden BLT’s with Pesto Aioli
- Super “Greens” Hummus
- Garden Bruschetta
- The Summer Lunch
- Freezer Marinara Sauce
Creamy Tomato Basil Fettuccini
Ingredients
- 1 lb fettuccini
- 1 T olive oil
- ½ onion chopped
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 4 c fresh tomato, any kinds roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ c basil chopped
- ½ t kosher salt
- 8 grinds fresh black pepper
- 1 c cream
- ½ c Parmesan cheese shredded, plus more for serving
Instructions
- Set water to boil (add a pinch of salt before adding pasta) and cook pasta according to package instructions (12 minutes). BEFORE draining, scoop out a cup of the starchy cooking water (a coffee cup works great for this!) and reserve until sauce is ready. The starchy water can be used to add to the sauce if it becomes too thick.
- Meanwhile, chop all veggies, a full 4 cup pyrex glass measuring cup works well for the tomatoes.
- In a large pan, large enough to toss pasta with sauce, heat olive oil, saute onion and zucchini, and seasoned with a pinch of salt and pepper, until starting to brown. Stir often.
- Add tomato and garlic, season with ½ t salt and 8 grinds pepper. Let saute with the zucchini and onion a few more minutes.
- Add basil and cream and simmer about 5 minutes until slightly thickened, stir often until pasta is ready.
- Add drained pasta and Parmesan to the sauce and toss with tongs until well combined. You can add some of the starching cooking water to thin the sauce as needed. Sometimes when I come back to the stove for a second helping, the sauce has sit awhile and needs a bit of liquid to loosen it up!
- Serve with extra Parmesan cheese.
Leave a Reply