RECIPE | 6-INGREDIENT TOMATO GARLIC PASTA

Less is more. This dish only takes 6 ingredients. It has a simple taste but it keeps me coming back for more even though the ingredients are few. It's also so quick to make, you will be laughing! This was one of the dishes I would eat a lot when I was making the transition to more plant-based foods. It's so delicious and filling and I had no issues eating it over and over again. It was inspired by Gennaro Contaldo, mentor to Jamie Oliver, and I always look to Gennaro for Italian recipes.

For this recipe, I'm using organic grape tomatoes (cherry tomatoes work even better if you have those), garlic, organic fresh basil leaves, Barilla GMO-free pasta, Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper.

I also wanted to let you guys know that I will be taking it slow with YouTube so you may or may not see a new video every week. For the past month, I've been posting a new video every Thursday along with a blog post. It's a lot of work (about 10 hours) to produce 1 video while trying to maintain the blog and a 9-5 job. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy blogging and I dream of doing it full-time one day, but it does take away time from what matters the most to me, which is my family.

Recently my dog experienced a ruptured cyst. Causing for what used to be the size of a poker chip to triple. It was frightening as it happened overnight and he may need surgery if the swelling doesn't reduce, but it made me realize a lot. It taught me that I need to set my priorities straight and that although helping others through this blog is my new found purpose, I must find balance between my family and this blog. So what I'm trying to say is that I may or may not post according to my usual schedule. I may feel like posting a new recipe one week and the next week, I may not. I'll only post when I naturally feel like doing so or if it's a recipe that is great enough to share. I think the reason why I kept myself on a strict schedule is because I don't want this blog to fail. If I stop maintaining it regularly, I have this fear that I will lose that discipline to keep it going because let's face it, humans are lazy. But I had to remind myself that this blog will always be here as long as I want it to be. If I truly want it to keep growing, that discipline/drive will persist too.

To those who have stuck by my blog, thank you for not giving up on me. As we're all human, sometimes we experience lows and highs. It's been 1 year and 7 months of blogging, so Christie at Home is bound to experience a dip, right? But I believe from our lowest of times, comes new strength and eventually I will bounce back full force. Thank you to those who have always offered me words of encouragement or support. Sometimes it comes from people I barely know - the kindness I've experienced from this blog is truly amazing and it keeps me motivated.

Anyway, back to this recipe. I hope you guys enjoy making and eating it! If you do, please take a picture of it and tag @christieathome on Instagram and it may be featured. If you're not on Instagram, please share this recipe or my YouTube video with your family and friends across social media or by simple word of mouth. I'd appreciate it GREATLY!

Take good care,

Christie

Adapted from Gennaro Contaldo

SERVES 2 | PREP TIME 10 MINS | COOK TIME 15 MINS

• 250 g of spaghettini pasta
• 1 pint of grape or cherry organic tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1 handful of organic fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp of organic extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste, salt to season pasta water
• 1/3 cup of reserved hot pasta water or water

1. Prepare your ingredients as listed above. Boil your pasta according to package instructions in a pot of salted water. Reserve 1/3 cup of hot pasta water for sauce.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pan set on low heat, add your olive oil. Add in garlic and slow fry until fragrant. Once fragrant, add in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fry until tomatoes are softened. Cover with a lid and let it cook for about 3-5 minutes.
3. Remove the lid and add in reserved pasta water. Then throw in the cooked pasta. Top off with chopped basil leaves and combine well. Once combined, turn off your heat and plate your pasta. Optional: garnish with more fresh basil.