Summer Pasta

I always felt that pasta, with marinara sauce, was a meal to have on a cold day and that it was quite heavy. This fresh tomato based pasta is lighter and perfect for summer! This dish has a fresh and rich tomato flavor, which pairs beautifully with the bursts of fresh basil and lemon. Make sure you use fresh and ripe cherry tomatoes as that will elevate this dish to a whole other level!

Yields: 4 servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of high quality olive oil, plus more for serving

• 1 small shallot, diced

• 1 medium sized bunch of asparagus, trimmed and thinly sliced diagonally

• 4 cups of cherry tomatoes

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed

• 1 teaspoon of kosher salt

• ¼ teaspoon of black pepper

• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

• 4 tablespoons of fresh basil, roughly chopped

• 9 ounces of spaghetti 

Instructions:

• Add the olive oil and shallot to a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened. 

• Add in your cherry tomatoes and garlic. Let cook until the tomatoes break down, 4-5 minutes. 

• Gently stir in the salt, pepper and continue to cook until the tomatoes juices release, 5-7 minutes. 

• Stir in the lemon juice and butter until fully incorporated. Then, toss in the sliced asparagus and turn the heat to the lowest setting and cover with a lid while you cook your spaghetti till al dente.

• Before draining your pasta, reserve ¼ cup of pasta water. 

• Remove the garlic cloves from the sauce. Add in your cooked pasta to the sauce and stir in pasta water if necessary. 

• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in basil and an extra drizzle of olive oil.