Bruschetta Pasta

If you can make bruschetta, you can easily make this pasta dish. All you do is make the bruschetta and cook the pasta. When the pasta is done toss it with the bruschetta and top with Parmesan cheese. So simple and so fresh on hot summery days.

The bruschetta recipe can be found under Bruschetta Burger here. I've included some pictures with some tips on how to prepare this and for general knowledge of tomatoes and basil.

I cut the tomatoes in half first and seed them by pushing my thumb into the tomato and scraping out the seeds. This gets some of the extra liquid out too

With Roma tomatoes, I like to slice them lengthwise first, them turn them sideways and dice them. Really, it doesn't matter, just make sure you have a nice sharp knife.As a side note, that knife is my all-time favorite. It's a 7-in Hollow edge Wusthof Santoku knife which allows air to get in between the food and blade so you can cut thin slices. It is also very easy to hold, even though it can look intimidating to a novice chef.

Wash the fresh basil and pat dry with a towel. Then start by rolling it into a log. If you have big leaves its easier to pile them all on top of each other before rolling. Unfortunately I did not, so I just took the pile and rolled. Once it's rolled, start chopping the basil and making thin strips to cut. When you are finished you will have little ribbons of basil.

As far as cooking pasta...always put a lid on the water while you wait for it to boil and always turn the heat ALL the way up. It does boil faster!! Once it is boiling rapidly, take the lid off and add a good amount of salt--more than a pinch. You are flavoring the pasta while it cooks, so just a dash won't do much. Italians like their pasta al dente, which means there is a slight bite to the pasta and it's never mushy. If you follow the time on the box, its usually right. My rule of thumb is that I always start with 8 minutes (6 for angel hair or anything tiny). Then I taste it and decide to drain it or leave it for another minute or two.

To finish the dish, ladle a couple spoonfuls of the starchy pasta water into the bruschetta and stir. This helps the sauce attach to the pasta. Then toss in the drained pasta and mix together. I always top my pasta with Parmesan cheese. That's it, pasta and sauce in no time!