This simple and quick penne pasta, cooked to perfection with a variety of cheeses, fresh tomatoes and basil leaves.
This Italian style traditional penne pasta makes for a perfect light lunch or a dinner dish, quite stand-alone, if you are a vegetarian. Or you can serve it with any main meat course.
The garlic tomato and basil combo is as Italian as it can get. You can find it in so many dishes, such as pizza, pasta, salads, fish and meat seasoning, so, this penne pasta can easily be considered the essential Italian dish.
The cooking is real easy. I prefer boiling the penne al dente, and it’s very important not to overcook it, even if you like it on a softer side. To boil you pasta properly, carefully check the instruction on the box and stick to the timing precisely. When pasta is overcooked it tends to get mushy.
After you cook the cheese and tomato mix, it’s best to remove it from heat when you stir in the pasta to avoid the further cooking of the penne. However, you can let it sit under cover for 5-6 minutes so that the pasta soaks up the tomato and basil flavors.
This dish keeps well in the refrigerator, so if you have leftovers, you can heat them up in a microwave the next day. It’s best to keep the pasta in foil or under a plastic wrap. Now, just follow the simple steps below to cook this lovely dish!
