We’ve feasted on the lettuce and snap peas our spring gardens gave us, but now it’s time to start welcoming what summer has to offer. Cherry tomatoes are an early gift, giving us a teaser of what’s to come with their bigger cousins. 

With summer comes heat, which is the best example of a blessing and a curse. With the garden loving the warmth ­ while I’m sweating more than I should be in Seattle ­ the last thing I want to do is turn on the oven. Or make a salad for the thirtieth time. This is why the three­minutes­to- cook fresh pasta is my summertime hero, which also happens to make the perfect nest for all the tomato and herb freshness. 

Fresh Linguine, Tomatoes and herbs

About 2-­4 serving sizes

Ingredients

4 oz. fresh linguine
2­3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1⁄4 cup fresh herbs, sage, thyme and oregano
1­2 Garlic cloves
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt + more to salt water to cook pasta
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon red chili flakes

Steps

1. Quarter slice all of the cherry tomatoes and set aside in a large bowl.
2. Mince the garlic clove and fresh herbs, then put on top of the cherry tomatoes in the bowl, without mixing. Add in the red chili flakes.
3. Cook the linguine in salted, boiling water for about 3 minutes. Immediately put the pasta straight from the pot of water into the large bowl on top of the garlic and fresh herbs to slightly cook them, getting some of the pasta water in the bowl as well.
4. Pour the balsamic vinegar and olive oil over the noodles, then sprinkle on the salt and 
pepper. Mix everything in the bowl together, adding more salt and pepper if needed. 

Serve right away with toasted baguette slices.

This recipe is courtesy of our friend Sara, the creative voice behind the inspiring and informative blog Northwest Workshop. Northwest Workshop features posts with step by step imagery and directions, to learn something new and make it your own. The focuses of this blog are in Home Cooking and an Artisan Lifestyle.