- Course: Main Course
- Skill Level: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Favorited: 1 Time
Recipe
Ingredients
For the croutons:
- ¼ cup (50 ml) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 cups (500 ml) cubed French or Italian bread (1-inch/2.5 cm cubes)
For the pasta:
- 1 recipe Basic Egg Pasta
- 3 large tomatoes, diced (see Notes)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup (50 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp (2 ml) balsamic vinegar
- ½ tsp (2 ml) salt
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) hot pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup (75 ml) thinly sliced fresh basil
Equipment:
- Pasta Roller
- Fettuccine cutter
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C)
- Baking sheet
Directions
1. Prepare the croutons: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
2. Place bread on baking sheet. Pour garlic butter over bread, tossing with a spatula to distribute butter evenly. Spread out bread cubes. Bake in preheated oven until crispy and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
3. Prepare the pasta: Roll pasta to setting 5 and cut with the fettuccine cutter. Set aside on a floured baking sheet.
4. In a large bowl, toss tomatoes, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt, hot pepper flakes and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired with salt, hot pepper flakes and vinegar. Set aside.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook, stirring for the first minute to keep noodles from sticking together, until al dente (tender to the bite), about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving about ½ cup (125 ml) of the cooking water.
6. Add pasta to the bowl of tomatoes. Toss and add enough of the cooking water to moisten. Add croutons and basil and toss again. Serve immediately.
Notes
This dish is best made in August and September, when tomatoes are at their peak. If you want to make it in the winter, use 6 to 9 plum tomatoes.
© 2008 Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder
Note from Cookstr's Editors
Nutritional information does not include Basic Egg Pasta. For nutritional information on Basic Egg Pasta, please follow the link above.






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