Mediterranean Linguine with Basil and Tomatoes

I’m in the process of training for a marathon, so I have been making a lot of pasta dishes lately.  This one seemed like a light, fresh option – and it is! 

Mediterranean Linguine with Basil and Tomatoes (slightly adapted from AllRecipes, Total Time: 25 minutes, 8 servings)

Ingredients

·         16 oz. whole wheat linguine pasta

·         1 Tbsp. salt, or to taste

·         ½ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

·         1 pint grape tomatoes, quartered

·         1 Tbsp. minced garlic

·         2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

·         1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         18 basil leaves, cut in thin strips (I used dried basil, a quick shake on each serving)

·         Grated parmesan to top each serving

Directions

1.       Boil 6 quarts salted water. Add pasta and cook for the minimum recommended time on package directions. While pasta cooks, prepare sauce.

2.      Heat olive oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add tomatoes and garlic. Cook and stir 2 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.

3.      Remove from heat. Stir in vinegar and pepper flakes.

4.      Drain pasta. Add to skillet. Cook and stir 1 minute or until pasta is coated and hot. Remove from heat.

5.      Season with salt and pepper. Stir in basil and cheese. Serve with additional cheese, if desired.

I am not used to oil-based sauces, so it takes some time to get over the oily feeling in my mouth while eating this dish; however, I really like it!  There’s a nice dichotomy with the slight sweetness from the red wine vinegar and the spiciness of the red pepper flakes.  Even though I don’t find this dish spicy at all, my husband did.  I only used one pint of tomatoes because I thought 2 would be a little overwhelming.  Next time, I’ll try to use more (especially since hubby won’t eat it; I had less tomatoes to appease his taste).  Overall, this is a light, healthy dish that doesn’t let down on big and bold flavors!