Tomatoes are everywhere and while I can’t resist a caprese salad with sliced heirloom tomatoes or a thick, beefy slice of tomato on a burger, there’s something special about sweet little sungolds picked fresh from our garden.
This pasta recipe comes together quickly and is so delicious that I find myself making it frequently when tomatoes are in season.
Tips:
Because this dish is simple, using just a few ingredients, make sure to choose fresh and locally produced ingredients if possible. Salt the tomatoes early and then again later. The salt helps break down the tomatoes and enhances flavor. Make sure the pasta water is salty too! Salty water will allow the sauce to better adhere to the pasta so salt a lot and often with this recipe.
Sungold Tomato and Fennel Rigatoni
A delicious seasonal pasta dish that can be eaten as is or as a side to your favorite grilled fish or chicken dish.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rigatoni prepared as suggested by manufacturer.
- 3 pints of sungold (or any variety) of tomatoes
- 1 fennel, sliced
- 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1/3 cup or more of olive oil
- 1 lemon (zest)
- basil for garnish
- 3 or 4 ounces of goat cheese and Parmesan if desired
Instructions
Wash and remove stems from tomatoes.
1/3 to 1/2 in half and combine with remaining tomatoes.
Add chopped garlic and fennel to sizzling olive oil. Cook until fragrant.
Add tomatoes, salt generously and cook until skins are falling off (6-8 minutes).
Meanwhile, prepare pasta. When the water begins to boil add lots of salt (at least a heaping tablespoon).
Prepare cheese: Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to the goat cheese. Stir until smooth.
When pasta is done, strain, don't rinse.
Add cooked pasta to tomato mixture
Spoon in to bowls or on plates. Add a dollop of cheese and fresh basil and Parmesan if you'd like.
Notes
Because there are only a few simple ingredients in this pasta dish, make sure you source the locally grown, fresh ingredients if possible. Salt is key here! Salt the tomatoes early and then midway through the cooking process. Add lots of salt to the pasta water before the pasta goes in. This will allow the sauce to adhere to the rigatoni. of its simplicity, you'll want to source the freshest ingredients and let Mother Nature do most of the work. Salt and pasta water are very much your friends here.
