How To Cook Green and Healthy For $10 or Less – Tomato Basil Pasta

 

Basil is an Italian staple and one of the herbs known for its medicinal qualities. This season I grew the Mediterranean variety of the herb, Purple Basil, in my front lawn vegetable garden. In the photo you see me picking the basil late in the season after the color – and flavor – became milder.

One of the reasons I choose to grow basil; it is remarkably drought-tolerant, therefore a very sustainable herb to have in your garden.

GREEN TIP: The more drought-tolerant a plant, the less you have to water.
This season I used the front lawn rainwater cistern to water the herbs and vegetables I planted in my front lawn.

Mulching the garden enhances its water-saving potential. Rarely watering the basil still produced a remarkably flavored crop.
In the video above you see Centered Chef Ryan Hutmacher with me on my front lawn demonstrating how to cook the recipe below – an amazing and delicious Tomato Basil Pasta using fresh tomatoes and the yummy fresh basil from my garden.

Tomato Basil pasta
2/3 lb your favorite 100% whole wheat pasta, uncooked
5 cups chopped tomatoes
1 tsp minced garlic
3 5/8 Tbs fresh basil, chopped
1 1/3 Tbs olive oil
black pepper and salt to taste
1/2 a lemon
3 Tbs (about 1 ounce) Parmesan cheese, shredded

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil in order to cook pasta. Pre-cook pasta to make preparation even easier.
2. To prepare sauce – combine tomatoes, garlic and basil leaves. Drizzle with olive oil. Add half the parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Prepare pasta according to package directions. When completely cooked, drain. Place hot pasta atop tomato mixture and toss – it will cook slightly during the toss process.
4. Drizzle lemon juice. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serve immediately.
Servings: 4

Today’s Tomato Basil Pasta recipe also features tomatoes I grew myself. Please link to instructions here on – HOW TO PLANT A TOMATO.

The “Living Lean and Green; How To Cook Healthy For $10 or Less”video series features Chef Ryan Hutmacher, The Centered Chef of Centered Chef Food Studios (http://www.centeredchef.com), cooking with me (Shawna Coronado) in my front lawn vegetable garden. Together, we are creating meals that cost a family of four $10 or less to prepare and feature organic vegetables I have grown myself.

— Burpee Home Gardens supplied the vegetables grown in the garden this season. I  write many instructional stories and videos with their incredible vegetable products and donate a large portion of the vegetables to the local food pantry when harvested.
— Organic Mechanics Soil supplied the worm castings for the garden areas which were not crop-rotated this season.
— Aquascape, Inc. sponsored the videos and supplied the rain water cistern for easier watering of the vegetable garden.