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Angel Hair Pasta with Quick Cherry Tomato Sauce

Angel Hair Pasta with Quick Cherry Tomato Sauce
  • Category

    Dinner

  • Cusine

    American

Ingredients

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 pounds angel hair pasta , or another thin spaghetti

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 pints red and yellow cherry tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced

1 cup fresh basil leaves, removed from the stems

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of water with 2 teaspoons of salt to a boil. Add the pasta and stir well until the water returns to a boil. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the pasta is tender. With a ladle or a heat-proof liquid measuring cup, remove about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta but do not rinse it; transfer to a bowl. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of the oil and toss well.

Pierce small whole tomatoes with a skewer or the tip of a paring knife. Halve the tomatoes if they’re large.

In a deep skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the cherry tomatoes – they will splutter – along with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, red pepper, and black pepper. Cook, shaking the pan, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to collapse and form juices. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 2 minutes more.

Add the pasta and 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Toss well. Add more pasta water if needed, a tablespoon at a time, to thin the mixture so the sauce coats the pasta. Add half the basil leaves and toss again.

Divide the pasta among 4 to 6 large bowls. Add a few basil leaves on top of the pasta and sprinkle generously with Parmesan.