Healthy Diet: 2 Ways to Use Your Tomatoes for Dinner

Posted on Jul 22, 2015

Nothing says summer more than the arrival of the crown jewel of summer produce – the sun-kissed tomato. If you are stuck using tomatoes in salads then here are two fresh ways to use your tomatoes for dinner instead:

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce:

Ingredients:

4-6 medium sized tomatoes, cored and chopped (you can peel the tomatoes if you’re willing to go the extra step. If the skin doesn’t bother you then just skip it)
2 tablespoons of butter
a glug of extra virgin olive oil
2 shallots finely chopped ( if you don’t have shallot just use regular yellow onion – 1/2 cup)
2 garlic cloves diced
a squeeze of lemon juice
1/2 cup of cream
small handful of fresh parsley or fresh basil chopped
fettucine, tagliatelle or similar
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Bring a pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. Cook pasta when your water comes to a rolling boil. Heat a large saucepan on medium heat with the butter and olive oil. Add the shallot (or onion) and cook for 5-7 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds to soften. Add the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10-20 minutes depending on how juicy your tomatoes are and how thick you like your sauce. Turn heat off and add the cream and the squeeze of lemon. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine and sprinkle with parsley or basil. Add the cooked pasta directly to the saucepan and coat the noodles with the sauce. Sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Healthy Diet: 2 Ways to Use Your Tomatoes for Dinner

Don’t be afraid of the ugly tomato.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Pasta with Tomatoes, Arugula and Olives

Ingredients:

4-5 medium tomatoes of different varieties, cored and chopped into bite sized pieces
a couple of glugs of extra virgin olive oil
a glug of balsamic vinegar
pitted and chopped kalamata olives, 1/2 cup
fresh basil, 1/4 cup, chopped
two big handfuls of arugula
parmesan cheese, grated
pasta (penne, spaghetti, linguine)

Put your chopped tomatoes into a colander and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly and let the tomatoes stand for 10-15 minutes or so in the sink to drain the excess water. Then put the tomatoes into a large shallow bowl and add a couple of glugs of good extra virgin olive oil and a generous glug of balsamic vinegar. Add chopped olives and chopped basil and toss to coat. Let the tomatoes marinate on the counter (don’t put it in the fridge) while you start the pasta water boiling. You can also skip this step if you pressed for time. After they have marinated add the arugula on top of the tomatoes. Boil your pasta in salted water, drain and pour the hot pasta over the arugula and tomatoes. Let the heat from the pasta wilt the arugula and warm the tomatoes. Toss everything together. Sprinkle fresh parmesan on top and serve immediately.

Ingredients for Pasta with Tomatoes, Arugula and Olives

Pasta with Tomatoes, Arugula and Olives

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