Tomato Herb Pasta

Try making this sauce loaded with fresh tomatoes and herbs as a nice change from a traditional cooked pasta sauce. The heat of the pasta warms the sauce slightly while keeping the flavours bright and fresh. Serve with your favourite grilled steak, kabobs or burgers.
Yield 4 Servings Prep. Time 10 min Cooking Time 10 min Total Time 20 min

Ingredients

Here are the following ingredients:

  • 3 cups (750 mL) dry penne or rotini pasta (about 9 oz/270 g)
  • ½ cup (125 mL) EACH packed fresh parsley and cilantro or basil leaves
  • ¼ small onion
  • ¼ cup (60 mL) bottled vinaigrette salad dressing
  • Salt, fresh ground pepper and hot pepper flakes
  • 2 cups (500 mL) grape tomatoes, quartered
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Follow these cooking methods/directions: 1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for about 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain well and return to pot (off the heat). 2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, cilantro, onion, salad dressing, ⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) salt, ¼ tsp (1 mL) pepper and a pinch of hot pepper flakes in a blender; purée until smooth.  3. Pour herb mixture over pasta in pot and add tomatoes; toss to combine. Season with salt, pepper and hot pepper flakes to taste. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan.