Pasta Ponza

This dish has quickly become one of my favourites!

It was inspired by Giada de Laurentis, the chef on Food Network's, "Everyday Italian." First, don't you think she is one of the friendliest chefs, ever?! I often feel more cheery after watching her show because she is always smiling, and finds so much joy in cooking for others. (Her and I have that in common!) Check out her website with Food Network here.

As for today's recipe, it came as a complete shock to me, how simple yet satisfying it was. The sweetness of the heirloom tomatoes, in combination with salty Parmesan and savory breadcrumbs, create a healthy, vegetarian option for your next dinner party. And seriously, you couldn't make this dish any easier if you tried.

Indeed, Italians are masters at transforming simple, everyday ingredients into dishes that are quick, healthy and satisfying.


When you are searching for tomatoes, the shot above shows the ones that I always go for; they are sweet heirloom tomatoes. An heirloom vegetable is a cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern large-scale agriculture. A true heirloom is a cultivar that has been nurtured, selected, and handed down from one family member to another for many generations. One box (which can be found at any grocery store that carries the President's Choice brand), is enough to feed about 3 people.


When I go back to school in the fall I know that this recipe will be a weekly go-to. The ingredients are on hand most of the time, and it only costs about $2.50 per portion. How awesome is that!?

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! And as the Italians would say, Buon appetito!

Ingredients:

1 box sweet heirloom tomatoes
salt and pepper*
basil leaves*
olive oil*
onion flakes*
seasoned bread crumbs*
parmesan cheese*
seasoned breadcrumbs*
3 servings of dry spagetti
a handful of chopped parsley (optional)

*Amounts will be very rough, as it seems to always be with Italian cooking! A simple shake/drizzle over the tomatoes of each will be adequate.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees (or 350 for a convection oven). In a medium size, baking dish (pictured right), rub the sides with butter to prevent sticking.

2. Chop tomatoes into halves and quarters and place into the baking dish. Cover (as shown right), with a few pinches of salt and pepper, a good drizzle of olive oil, a light shake of onion and basil flakes, a thicker layer of breadcrumbs, and finally, another drizzle of olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. When the tomatoes have cooked, pour over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.