Good Old Favourites #11

My family’s definition of healthy is slightly different from mine - as you will have worked out if you've been here before. 

They believe that healthy should definitely include lots of pasta, preferably with cheese. The more of both, the better. So they love this. But you don’t have to use as much pasta. And the cheese is ricotta – which of the cheeses, is one of the healthiest you can get. 

If you’re worried about salt, leave out the parmesan. If you’re worried about carbs, use an alternative, like the zucchini spaghetti, or carb free noodles. Either way, this is a yummy meal.

Rigatoni with tomato and corn salsa

500g rigatoni pasta

500g baby tomatoes, quartered

4 cobs fresh corn, cooked and stripped off the cob

100 ml fresh basil, shredded

1 fresh green chilli seeded and chopped (optional)

200ml extra virgin olive oil

20 ml balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

250g ricotta cheese, coarsely crumbled

Parmesan cheese shavings (optional)

Here’s what to do…

·              In a glass bowl, combine the tomatoes, corn, basil and chili,

·              Add the olive oil and the balsamic vinegar and season with herbs and pepper

·              Allow to stand at room temperature for the flavours to intensify

·              Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions till al-dente

·              Drain the pasta and immediately return to the warm cooking pot, but remove the pot from the heat

·              Add the salsa and the crumbled ricotta to the warm pasta

·           Combine the ingredients gently with a large spoon and season more, if required

·              Serve immediately in bowls topped with Parmesan cheese shavings

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