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Pasta for People Who “Don’t Really Eat Vegetables”

Published on July 6, 2011 By Emily. Updated on August 8, 2020

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

The other day I invited one of my friends from work and her husband over for dinner.  In the course of our Facebook message conversation, the following happened (names have been hidden to protect the innocent):

fb conversation-1

I know better than to serve tofu when we have someone over for the first time, but “he doesn’t really eat vegetables”?  That was going to take a little more thinking than the tact I was originally going to take.  So, I thought back to the olden days (2 years ago), when I lived at home and vegetables were more of a side than a main attraction.  And I dug this out of my recipe binder:

IMG_4653

Between the stains on the original that was photocopied and the newer stains in the corners, you can tell this recipe has been made a few times.  I remember eating this fairly regularly growing up, especially if we were having company.  It’s a really simple and fast meal to put together, but it tastes delicious and will please almost anyone.

I tried searching online for the recipe, but I wasn’t able to come up with an original source, only that we’re not the only family who calls it one of their favorites.  Brian and I almost exclusively use whole wheat pasta, but I purchased regular spaghetti for this recipe because it requires some mixing at the end and whole wheat pasta seems to break into tiny pieces.  I also assemble the recipe slightly differently than the original.

Spaghetti with Herbed Tomatoes and Cheese

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb. spaghetti
  • olive oil
  • 6 medium tomatoes
  • 4 tsp. dried or 8 tsp. fresh basil
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Parmesan cheese/salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Dice the tomatoes and set them aside.  Congratulate yourself on being done with the hardest part of this recipe.
  • Begin cooking the spaghetti according to the package instructions.  While you wait for the water to boil, heat some olive oil (a couple tablespoons is fine; I never measure) in a large skillet.  Add the tomatoes, basil and garlic.  Simmer, stirring occasionally, as the pasta cooks.  Add salt to taste.
  • When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the pot.  Pour the tomato sauce over the pasta and toss to combine.
  • Slowly add the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan (if you’re using it) to the pot, stirring the pasta as you add it.  It’s probably going to clump together and leave big spots of cheese.  It’s okay, it tastes good that way.
  • Serve to your vegetable hating friends (and the ones who love vegetables too).

IMG_4651

Brian helped out by chopping up a bunch of vegetables and making a huge salad.

IMG_4639

I also made a loaf of No-Time Bread and served it with some garlic scape and basil compound butter I recently made.

IMG_4644

Everyone enjoyed the meal and we had a really fun evening together.  My friend’s husband made the most of the bread and the spaghetti.  He didn’t touch the salad.  I guess she was right, he really doesn’t like vegetables.

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Filed Under: recipe, vegetarian main dish, weeknight Tagged With: pasta, recipe

« Tomato Time! (CSA Week 6 & 7)
Canning Kick Off 2011 »

Comments

  1. Jean King says

    July 7, 2011 at 6:29 pm

    I know who doesn’t eat vegetables!!
    I’ll be trying this recipe. It’s simple and a good way to use up tomatoes when the garden explodes!

    • Emily says

      July 12, 2011 at 9:01 pm

      Jean, there are few things I would like better than to have a garden exploding with tomatoes.

      • Jean King says

        July 13, 2011 at 4:43 pm

        I will keep you in mind when we have too many!

Trackbacks

  1. » Goals In Progress: December and 2011 Overall » Relishments says:
    December 31, 2011 at 6:48 pm

    […] Overall this goal was successful: I hosted Easter dinner, made tacos for 9 people and even fed someone who doesn’t care for vegetables.  I’m much more comfortable cooking for others than I was a year […]

  2. Squash Season (CSA Menu Plan #40) | Relishments says:
    October 7, 2015 at 8:20 pm

    […] Spaghetti with Herbed Tomatoes and Cheese + steamed broccoli […]

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Emily
Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring Last week Brian and I finally got around to hiring a sitter for a rare night out. We went to dinner at @publicna and took advantage of the opportunity with drinks, appetizers and dessert.

Pictured:
- Citrus Braised Beef Tacos
- "Chicken and Waffles"
- House Fries with Garlic Aioli
- Fried Chickpeas
- Blood Orange Cheesecake
It was no surprise that Public was close to full on a Wednesday night - everything was so good. 

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New year, new theme word! This year's word is "enr New year, new theme word!
This year's word is "enrich" and I'm really excited about it.

I've written more about this year's theme on the blog. Click in the link in my profile or follow the link below to read the post.
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It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post. It's It's not New Year's Eve without a Top 9 post.
It's almost all #Berkshires content this year, which is great.
1. A pasta salad reel that took longer to create than the recipe took to make.
2. A reel from North Carolina where I could have watched birds all day.
3. The @thelazygenius book giveaway.
4.@plantconnector 
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New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year' New on the blog: My 2022 reflections on last year's theme word - resume. 

I was able to get back to many activities that were meaningful to me this year and I'm calling this theme a success. Follow the link below or click the link in my profile to read more.
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New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022. For New on the blog: My Favorite Recipes of 2022.

For the fourth year, I've recapped the best new (to me) recipes I made this year in the hope that they'll give you some new dishes to try. This year's list is short, but delicious. It includes @budgetbytes My Favorite Recipes of 2022
Published on December 30, 2022 By Emily. Updated on December 30, 2022

It’s hard to believe that 2022 is basically behind us. Though overall this year found me getting back to the person I want to be (post-babies and “post”-pandemic), I did not try nearly as many new recipes this year as I used to. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I’d made note of any new-to-me recipes I wanted to share in this post. This year’s list is short, but delicious. It includes recipes from @budgetbytes, @smittenkitchen and @howsweeteats.
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Read the post by visiting the link in my profile or 
https://www.relishments.com/blog/my-favorite-recipes-of-2022/
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#RecipeRoundUp #BestRecipes2022 #FavoriteRecipes
@coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one @coastalmainebotanicalgardens continues to be one of the highlights of all my return trips to Boothbay and their annual Gardens Aglow event continues to impress. It was great to be back to walking the gardens instead of the pandemic drive through and there seemed to be more lights than ever.  I'm already looking forward to next year.
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It has been a while, but there is finally a new CS It has been a while, but there is finally a new CSA menu plan on the blog! Visit the link below or in my profile to see how I plan to make use of some of the @mightyfoodfarm produce seen here.
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Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but t Fall in the Berkshires is always incredible, but this year we've had weather that has also been outstanding. The past 2 weekends have included time at Jaeschke Orchards, the Greylock Glen, and the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail as well as stopping to photograph any random foliage I see. 
Check out the last slide for video of some feathered friends we saw on a walk.
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@freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favo @freshgrassfestival continues to be one of my favorite events each year, and it doesn't hurt that it's just minutes away from home. Enjoying the festival with my kids is definitely a different experience than without, but it's still a good time. The weather was especially cooperative today which was great for all the laps I did around the @massmoca campus pushing a stroller. I'm already looking forward to next year.
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