Tuesday, June 29, 2010

From the Garden to the Table: Fusilli with Spinach and Asiago Cheese

One of my favorite, EASY, summertime recipes calls for one pint of cherry tomatoes. I've been waiting for a big enough batch of them to ripen in the garden. And tonight we finally had enough. 

 The tomatoes in this bowl are a combination of regular red cherry tomatoes and my favorite Sungold yellow "cherry" tomatoes. The Sungolds turn a yellow-orange color when ripe, and they are unbelievably sweet.

Not only is this easy and yummy, but it's also vegetarian. AND....it's a recipe that the Big Ballerina will eat as is. No bowl of pasta with butter and cheese for her. That means she's eating spinach! Whoohooo! LB still wants hers plain, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Are you ready? By the time you finish reading this post you could have already made it. It's that quick and simple. Here goes...
Fusilli with Spinach and Asiago Cheese
adapted from a Giada de Laurentis recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fusilli pasta
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1 (9-ounce) bag fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  • 16 ounces (1 pint) cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup (about 3 1/2-ounces) grated Asiago
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

2. Meanwhile, warm olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Press the garlic cloves into the pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

3. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften and release their juices, about 2 minutes if they're nice and ripe.

4. Add the spinach and cook until it just begins to wilt, about 1 minute.

It should look like this...

5. Add the cooked pasta and toss. Add the cheeses, pepper, and if necessary, some of the pasta cooking liquid. (Since I use very ripe tomatoes and cook them until their juices release, I usually don't need any extra water.) Stir to combine.


 6. Transfer to bowls. If you're cheese lovers like we are, grate a bit of extra Pecorino Romano on top. Serve.


See? I told you it was EASY. Now go make it!

14 comments:

Amy @ Lucky Number 13 said...

oh kim, you are killing me with your fresh tomatoes and that dish...YUM! i'm so making this really soon!

Iowa Sunshine said...

i must try this recipe! you make it look sooo delish (and easy!). thanks for sharing.

Dani said...

Mega-yumz.

Must. Try.

PS: I love how you take a pic of all the ingredients in one shot.

Bridget said...

This sounds and looks delicious!!!

{cindy} said...

Oh I love it when Dave cooks with fresh cherry tomatoes!
Looks delish!
Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy the day

mary katharine said...

This looks fantastic! Enough said. I'm making it. Super thrilled to find you today via Sloan over at Lucky as a Ladybug.

Gabe said...

can't wait until my tomatos are ready. . .this looks great!

Bring Pretty Back said...

I must make this! This looks so delish! And healthy!
Thank you!!
Kristin

Melissa said...

oh my gosh you have just solved dinner for me hon!!
dashing to the grocer in the village for spinach- if you work out how to get LB to eat hers -let me know for our audrey....
looks fantastic!
melissa x

sloan said...

clearly we have the same tastes at the dinner table ... YUM!
i'm so glad to have yet another great new recipe from you - thanks, kim!!

Lenore @ Lather. Write. Repeat. said...

Yum - that looks delicious! Yet so simple and easy.

Thanks for stopping by Lather. Write. Repeat. today! Have a great day.

XO
Lenore

Seizing My Day said...

um... YUM! def. on my must make it list!! today... I need cold pasta salad! NEED it! =)

kim {the non-mom blogger} said...

I made this and LOVED it!!! I added some arugula to the spinach - I thought it would add a little peppery punch to it! And I also chopped up some fresh basil and added it to the top. It was DIVINE, and just like your last pasta recipe, my normally-anti-pasta-carnivorous husband LOVED it! Thanks :)

A House and Home said...

Yum, looks delicious.