Whole Grain Pasta with Tomatoes and Arugula
I love pasta. Who doesn't? I love it in tomato sauce, cheesy and creamy sauces, oil based sauces, baked, with veggies, without, cold, hot.. really any way you can make it, I'll eat it.
I haven't been able to get my husband to eat whole grain pasta, so when he was away last week I cooked it. It definitely has more bite to it than regular pasta and takes a bit longer to cook, but other than that I didn't taste a difference. And not only did I like it, my daughter did too!
I served her pasta with some tomato sauce, and I made a fresh vegetable sauce with tomatoes and arugula that was so light and fresh and perfectly tart, and I loved the peppery notes the arugula added. Normally when making pasta this way I'd use chicken or vegetable broth to add some liquid. But in an effort to cook lighter, I only used some of the pasta water. Adding in some Parmesan cheese at the end made it creamy and added a touch of saltiness.
Whole Grain Pasta with Tomatoes and Arugula
Original Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 oz whole grain pasta; I used penne
- 1 Tbsp light olive oil
- 1/4 onion, chopped
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 3-4 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 c water from the pot of cooking pasta
- Large handful of arugula
- Parmesan cheese
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add some salt and then add the pasta. Cook until done to your likeness (keep 1 c of pasta water before you drain it)
- Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.
- Add the onion, garlic, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper and saute 3-4 minutes and then lower the heat and let simmer while your pasta cooks.
- After a few minutes add about half of the pasta water and let simmer another 2 minutes.
- Add the pasta and arugula; toss.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and adjust salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately.
