Angel Hair Pasta With Tomatoes, Feta, and Pine Nuts
As soon as you can get your hands on some flavorful tomatoes, make this dish. It is so quick you won’t believe it. The hardest part is the prep. This dish is probably the “poster-child” for mise en place. It goes together so quickly that if you are still chopping you will either overcook or have a cold dish. Timing is key, but you will never have a better dish so quickly if you prep first.
Set a pot of water to boil. Toast your pine nuts – carefully please. Cook angel hair for a minute and a half – it will finish cooking in the skillet. About twenty-seconds for the shallots and garlic, another forty-five seconds to warm the tomatoes through, then off the heat toss in the other ingredients. Voila! You’re a chef. You cannot make it through the drive-thru as quick. And, you know just what is in this dish. Your welcome.
Grape or cherry tomatoes work well, but use the most flavorful tomatoes you can find.
Please be careful when toasting pine nuts. They are too expensive to burn.
Finish your meal with a good cup of coffee and a mini-dessert – preferably something lemon.
Fresh herbs can get expensive; may I suggest you check out propagating basil at The Café. Chris is a wizard at turning 1 plant into 12. I just bought a plant at Trader Joe’s for $2.99. I will be propagating this week – following her instructions I saw roots sprouting in 10 days.
You can top this pasta with some grilled shrimp or chicken, but I find it very satisfying as is. If you do not like feta, goat cheese would be an acceptable substitute.
Thank you Zov Karamardian for all the wonderful lunches I had at your restaurant. Thank you Chef John Mitzewich for reminding me to always warm our plates – he said nothing says you don’t care like serving your loved ones food on a cold plate. Thanks to Anne Burrell; she said when plating you should twist the pasta into a mound – it helps to hold the heat. I also heard Lidia Bastanich say the same – Anne worked for Lidia in her early days so maybe Lidia should be credited first, but I heard it first from Ann – thank you both.
And lastly, as the Louisiana French say, here is a little lagniappe for you. For those of you that avoid onions and garlic because they make your hands smell – you know who you are. After chopping or dicing onions or garlic run your hands under water with a piece of stainless steel, a spoon, a bowl, whatever you have that is stainless – no soap required. There seems to be some chemical reaction. Your hands will not smell of onion or garlic. Ok, now you’re welcome.
- 8 oz. angel hair pasta
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ½ cup chiffonade basil
- 3 tablespoon chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoon minced shallot
- 1 ½ pounds tomatoes – diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup coarsely crumbled feta
- ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan
- ⅓ cup pine nuts - toasted
- ¼ cup shaved Parmesan
- mise en place ~ gather ingredient
- warm plates
- bring water to boil – add salt
- toast pine nuts – set aside
- coarsely crumble feta – set aside
- shave parmesan – set aside
- dice and deseed tomato – set aside
- mince garlic and shallot – set aside
- measure out parmesan – set aside
- chiffonade parsley and basil – set aside
- When pot of water it is boiling -
- Add oil to a skillet, when it shimmers, add shallots, just to soften.
- Add garlic – just until fragrant about 20 seconds – careful not to burn.
- Drop angel hair in the pot of salted boiling water for 1 minute to soften.
- Add diced tomatoes to skillet - just to warm through – about 45 seconds
- Off heat – Add in parsley, basil, crumbled feta, salt, and pepper – stir gently.
- Add a little pasta water if needed to loosen dish.
- Remove angel hair from boiling water; drop into skillet toss gently.
- Taste for salt – (remember feta can be salty)
- Place on a warmed plate – when plating use tongs; twist pasta into a mound – this will help hold the heat.
- Top with toasted pine nuts and shaved Parmesan.
- Your welcome.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
I love a simple meal like this…it tastes like you spent a lot of time preparing it but it doesn’t. I have my basil and tomato seeds started and now have to wait to enjoy summer flavors like yours.
Ms. Lemon says
Thank you for visiting. I hope you will try it. It really is so good.
Cathy at Wives with Knives says
I love this kind of quick to put together meal. Those vine ripened tomatoes make all the difference. They are month’s away where I live. And the fresh basil is essential. Beautiful dish.
Ms. Lemon says
Cathy, thank you for visiting. I just could not wait so I made this dish with some tomatoes from Tj’s. My photography does not do this dish justice. I hope you will try it.
The Café Sucre Farine says
Looks like a VERY yummy dinner and great tips! Thanks for the link also 🙂
Ms. Lemon says
Thanks so much Chris – this is my favorite. I hope everyone will visit you and learn to propagate basil.
Miz Helen says
Hope you are having a great weekend and thank you so much for sharing this awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday.
Hope to see you soon!
Miz Helen
Jeni says
Looks delicious! I have been on a Feta cheese kick lately!
Ms. Lemon says
Thank you for visiting. Feta is a grown-up cheese, but it goes so well with this dish. I hope you will try it. It is my favorite recipe.
The Tablescaper says
This looks so fresh. Perfect for Spring.
Wonderful to have you be a part of Seasonal Sundays.
– The Tablescaper
Kate says
Mmmmm..I love the addition of pine nuts! What a great pasta dish!
Ms. Lemon says
The fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts just makes this dish. I hope you will try it.
Pam says
What a terrific looking pasta dish. Love all of the ingredients in this!
Ms. Lemon says
Thank you Pam for visiting. I love this dish and I hope you will too.
Melissa @ DaisyMaeBelle says
That looks delicious! So fresh! Life to the full! Melissa
Kathe says
What a quick and light dish for those meals when I don’t want/ need to fill up! Thanks for sharing this at my party Ms Lemon! I am also featuring it on my Facebook page as well as pinning to my new You’re Gonna Love It board on Pinterest!
Ms. Lemon says
I hope you will try this, it is my favorite recipe. It makes for a quick lunch with the girls if you do things like that, and like I said if you want more substantial you can add some grilled chicken or shrimp.
Thank you so much for featuring me.
Diane says
Sounds and looks delicious. Thanks for joining us at the Let’s Get Social Sunday. Have a nice evening.
Kim says
Looks amazingly yummy!! I just pinned! 🙂 Thanks!
Ms. Lemon says
Please try it – it really is delish.