Garlic Spaghetti with Cannellini and Basil

Part of my score at the farmer's market over the weekend was the most plump quart of grape tomatoes you ever saw in your life! They've been sitting on my counter taunting me since Saturday, and I couldn't take it a second longer. That's the problem with buying from the farmer's market on the weekend; you know that every day off the plants is a day of wasted flavor! It's a race to cook your veggies as close to picking as possible.

I found a recipe in Cooking Light that looked like it would do just the trick, with a little vegan tweaking - Garlic Spaghetti with Greens and Beans. The original recipe called for arugula, which would have been divine, but I had a bunch of Thai basil that was calling to me from the vegetable drawer.

The recipe is simple and quick and, best of all, cooks in one pot! Hope you enjoy!

Garlic Spaghetti with Cannellini and Basil

Ingredients:

1 lb spaghetti or your favorite pasta

1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped

1 quart cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

6-8 cloves garlic (or more, depending on how garlicky you like your pasta!)

2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Juice from 2 lemons

1/2 tsp - 1 tsp crushed red pepper, to taste

1 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

1. Cook pasta in boiling water, per directions on box.

2. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup cooking water

3. In same pot, heat olive oil. Saute garlic and crushed red pepper for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned.

4. Add tomatoes and beans and cook for 3-4 minutes

6. Add pasta and salt, tossing and stirring in reserved pasta water, as needed

7. Add chopped basil and lemon juice and toss to coat.

The verdict:

Everyone loved this! It was uber-easy, and very tasty. The simplicity of the sauce was perfect in that it allowed the flavor of the grape tomatoes to shine through. This will definitely become a staple for my family.

Tonight for dinner: Polenta torte with puttanesca and Garlic-glazed green beans. I got the green beans at the Farmer's Market on Saturday and they're sitting in my drawer impatiently!