Pasta is a dish which is enjoyed by all ages. It is a traditional, timeless and familiarly comforting dish. It is also very versatile with an impressive selection of sauces and shapes to choose from. One could go a whole year eating pasta and not be bored of it.
Pasta dishes are quite easy to make, especially this one, but they are incredibly rich, warming and flavourful. They are pretty economical as well.
Pasta sauces don’t need to be full of many unusual ingredients. You can easily prepare sauces with just a handful of simple ingredients. Many famous Italian sauces are made up of just a handful of simple ingredients.
In this recipe, I have prepared an aromatic sauce with heavy cream, parmesan cheese, tomatoes and dried basil. I have seasoned it with salt and pepper. Into this sauce, I have added the pasta.
Fresh basil was not available in the supermarket where I bought these ingredients so I have added dried basil. It tastes good too. I always store some dried herbs in my pantry and they have helped many times.
You can serve this pasta for dinner with any non-vegetarian dish and a salad.
CREAMY FUSILLI PASTA WITH TOMATOES AND BASIL SAUCE RECIPE
PREPARATION TIME : 15 MINUTES
COOKING TIME : 25 MINUTES
CAN BE SERVED TO 3 PEOPLE
INGREDIENTS
- 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, grated or crushed
- 2 medium tomatoes peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1&1/2 cup of cooking cream or heavy cream (in a 250 ml cup)
- 150 grams of parmesan cheese grated
- 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper powder
- 1/2 teaspoon or the required amount of salt
- 2 cups of fusilli pasta (measured in a 250 ml cup)
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil
METHOD
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and keep aside. Save two or three tablespoons of the pasta water.
- Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until the raw smell is gone and a nice aroma comes.
- Add the tomato pieces and sauté until soft
- Add the cream. Into it add the grated parmesan cheese and stir gently until the cheese melts.
- Add the pepper powder and salt and mix
- Reduce the temperature of the stove to low and cook until the sauce thickens a bit. Keep stirring in between.
- Add the cooked pasta into this sauce and mix well so that the sauce is coated evenly on the pasta.
- Add the basil and mix well.
- Let the pasta to cook in low flame for few more minutes so that the sauce thickens and the pasta gets coated well with it. Stir gently in between.
- When it has thickened enough take it off the stove and serve it warm.
NOTES
If you have fresh basil you can add a finely chopped handful.
Serve the pasta immediately after you cook it. If you are not serving it immediately and If it becomes dry, add some reserved pasta water and heat it.
To peel the skin off the tomatoes easily, blanch it first.
STEP BY STEP PICTURES
Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until the raw smell is gone and a nice aroma comes.
Add the tomato pieces and sauté until soft.
Add the cream.
Add the grated parmesan cheese and stir gently until the cheese melts.
Add the pepper powder
Add salt
Reduce the temperature of the stove to low and cook until the sauce thickens a bit. Keep stirring in between.
Add the pasta and mix
Add the dried basil and mix well.
Let the pasta to cook in low flame for few more minutes so that the sauce thickens and the pasta gets coated well with it. Stir gently in between. When it has thickened enough, serve it warm.
