There are a lot of food blogs out there and I get soooo sucked in to the delicious eye candy they are serving up. Yet I have to admit I rarely make the dishes because as amazing as they are, they often seem a bit daunting and look like they take twice as much time as I usually have. One of my totally top fave foodies is the delightful Tracy from Shutterbean. She always has the best combination of yummy food, gorgeous photos AND things that can be whipped together in minutes. I can honestly that that EVERY SINGLE THING I’ve made of hers has turned out AHHHH-mazing. So I’m kinda bustin’ to tell you that she’s going to do a semi-regular little feature over here. Quickie’s with Shutterbean! Fast, tasty food for parent’s on the go! (and heck, if you’re not a parent you’ll still love ’em!) I mean take a look at this tastiness:

Take it away Tracy!

Hi everyone! It’s Tracy from Shutterbean here. Are you super busy with the kiddies and have no time to cook? Do you NOT feeling like cooking because it’s totally crazy hot right now?? Whoa! Me too! Thank god I’m not the only one. Here’s a little recipe for all you busy mamas out there! Quick Tomato Basil Pasta. It’s super duper simple and it’s one of my go-to summer meals because the reward for such little effort is GREAT. Just wait until you taste how sweet the tomatoes get when you roast them up!  It’s the easiest way to make a tomato sauce. No more slaving over the stove. Tomatoes are at their best this time of year so go for it!

Let’s get started!

Take about a 1lb. of mixed tomatoes, coat them with a little olive oil and 2 cloves roughly chopped garlic. Season with salt & pepper!

Roast in an oven at 400 degrees until the tomatoes start to burst open and brown. Should take about 15-20 minutes.

In the meantime, boil pasta & reserve some of the pasta water! Toss the tomatoes directly into the strained pasta!

Add a bit of the reserved pasta water & freshly chopped basil into the pot. Stir stir stir!

Now it’s time to plate your pasta in a pretty dish. Add a few glugs of olive oil on top and smother it with some fresh Parmesan cheese. Top with a pretty basil leaf!

You’ll have this big plate o’ pasta in less than a half hour! Promise.
Here’s what you’ll need:

-1 lb, spaghetti
-1 lb. fresh cherry tomatoes (the more the merrier!)
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-salt & pepper to taste
-olive oil

If you like your pasta a bit spicy, red pepper flakes will do the trick! Sometimes I add a few splashes of balsamic vinegar with the tomatoes to make them extra tangy. It also brings out the sweetness. Try it & enjoy!

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YUM!!! A little kiddo tip: For those of you without AC, I would think about roastin’ a smaller batch of those tomaters in the toaster oven.

Thank you Tracy. Don’t forget to swing by Shutterbean for even more deeeelishus recipes. Like this Herb Butter, Goat Cheese Pasta or this amazing Summer Salad Showdown—mmmm!