The first snowflakes of the season fell as I woke at sunrise and squinted through the shades of the bedroom window. The snowflakes were magical, gliding from the gray sky, sticking together as if to soften the fall and comfort one another as they melted instantly upon the ground.
The following morning, I tasted that bitter wind of a cold Minnesota morning and listened to its welcoming screams of a changing season, erasing my memories of floating, dancing snowflakes.
I needed a comforting dish. A dish that would represent the warming sun in its tantalizing flavor. A dish that could beat this cold and gray.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with a Garlic-Herb Olive Oil Sauce.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with a Garlic-Herb Olive Oil Sauce.
Heavy cream sauces are tempting this time of year, but they can slow you down at a time when your body needs energy more than ever. Try pasta recipes with olive oil based sauces instead like this Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with a Garlic-Herb Olive Oil Sauce.
With generous amounts of garlic, simmer gently in extra-virgin olive oil, along with dried chili peppers, sweet Spanish paprika and dried thyme. Then stir in sun-dried tomatoes to give the sauce an extra boost of flavor. Finally, add in cooked pasta, and a good sprinkle of fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.
A simple meal, with a touch of the sun to energize you on a wintery day.
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with a Garlic-Herb Olive Oil Sauce
by Season with Spice
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:
2 servings of whole wheat spaghetti, angel hair or linguine
4-5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves – finely chopped
1/2 tsp of a mild, sweet paprika
2 tsp dried thyme
1-2 dried red chili peppers - broken into half (alternatively, you can add in 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper)
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes – roughly chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley – chopped
Finely grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add in the pasta to cook. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, remove the pot from the stove and drain. Set the pasta aside for a moment.
2. On medium fire, heat up olive oil in a skillet or sauce pan. Once hot, lower fire to medium-low and add in garlic, dried chili peppers, paprika and dried thyme, cooking gently for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes. Then turn the fire up again, and toss in the pasta to coat well with the sauce. Cook for a minute or two. Turn fire off and season with salt & pepper, and sprinkle in chopped parsley.
4. Transfer to your serving plates and top with grated parmesan cheese.
by Season with Spice
Makes 2 servings
Ingredients:
2 servings of whole wheat spaghetti, angel hair or linguine
4-5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves – finely chopped
1/2 tsp of a mild, sweet paprika
2 tsp dried thyme
1-2 dried red chili peppers - broken into half (alternatively, you can add in 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper)
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes – roughly chopped
Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fresh parsley – chopped
Finely grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and add in the pasta to cook. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, remove the pot from the stove and drain. Set the pasta aside for a moment.
2. On medium fire, heat up olive oil in a skillet or sauce pan. Once hot, lower fire to medium-low and add in garlic, dried chili peppers, paprika and dried thyme, cooking gently for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes. Then turn the fire up again, and toss in the pasta to coat well with the sauce. Cook for a minute or two. Turn fire off and season with salt & pepper, and sprinkle in chopped parsley.
4. Transfer to your serving plates and top with grated parmesan cheese.
7 comments:
A mouthwatering pasta dish! Dried tomatoes have such a wonderful flavor.
Cheers,
Rosa
This and lemon pasta is one of our go to recipe. Love how easy and comforting it is!
Snowflakes already?! Wow it must be so cold, especially your body is so used to Southeast Asia warm weather! We're eating out tonight, but otherwise I'd be cooking this right now. Sun dried tomatoes are one of my first addiction when I first came to the US (along with bagels and mocha). I think I went a little crazy with all these three but I'm still in love with them despite of over consumption! I'll be making this this weekend or next week! I hope I have dried thyme...not 100% sure but good to buy if not. :) Thanks for the recipe, Reese!
Reading the start of your post made me shiver. It's so warm here still that I haven't been able to really think of snow. The leaves are still on the trees! I would love to wake up to 'a little' snow. Your pasta dish looks wonderful and any pasta that starts with "generous amounts of garlic" and then has dried red chile peppers in the list of ingredients, definitely gets a thumbs up from me. All I need now are some sun-dried tomatoes and this dish is on the table. Enjoy a cozy weekend!
Thank Kankana!
Yep, I love the sight of first snow but my hands are now perpetually cold. Sun-dried tomatoes have many health benefits, so it is a good addiction:)
Hi MJ - The sun went disappearing for almost a week after the first snow. Coming from a tropical country, it was the strangest thing to me! Thankfully, the sun peeks out this morning and I can't be anymore happier! Have a good week!
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