It is mid-August as I write this, which is about the time that gardens and farms start exploding with tomatoes. My mom sent Chris and me back home with a small box of them from her garden. I’m definitely not a canner, so I came up with this recipe for pasta with fresh tomatoes and kale as a way to use them up quickly and all at once.
It’s basically a very rustic tomato sauce. And because tomatoes are so ripe and beautiful right now, I didn’t want to overcook them or mess with them much at all. I didn’t even bother removing the skins or seeds. The addition of kale, fresh basil, and ricotta makes for a perfect summer pasta dish. Eat this outside with a cold glass of white wine. Yum.
Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes and Kale
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 5 cups fresh tomatoes - cut into big chunks
- 3 big handfuls of kale leaves - finely chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ cup fresh chopped basil
- ½ - 1 cup ricotta cheese (your cheesy preference)
- 3 cloves garlic - finely grated with a microplane or minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- generous pinch of sea salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta until al dente according to instructions.
- As pasta is cooking, heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large pot with high sides (like a stock pot or dutch oven).
- Add garlic and sautee until fragrant (1-2 minutes).
- Add kale and sautee until the leaves begin to wilt and turn dark green (3-4 minutes).
- Add white wine, tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano.
- Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add cooked pasta, remaining olive oil, ricotta cheese, and basil.