Here's another recipe from our favorite chef, Allergy Dragon, that will be an easy answer to that often asked question, "What's for dinner?" This allergy friendly recipe checks all of our boxes: not too many ingredients, not too many complicated steps, not too much prep time, and a DELICIOUS outcome. Serve with warm, crusty bread and a salad and you're good to go.
Dinner on the patio tonight to soak in the longer, warmer days?
“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”
—Federico Fellini
Happy Food Allergy-Asthma-Celiac-EoE Awareness Month!
In honor of this month, I'm sharing a #top9free, #glutenfree #allergyfriendly pasta sauce recipe I created especially for the Allergy Force community. The recipe's so easy to make and tastes so good you'll wonder why you ever used ready-made pasta sauces from the grocery store.
I love the simplicity of this tomato-basil sauce over penne or spiral pasta. It tastes like a garden, warmed by the summer sun.
This recipe is another good one to get kids busy in the kitchen on a Saturday evening —washing fresh tomatoes and basil, chopping tomatoes, tearing basil leaves, and stirring the sauce. Besides the fun of creating a delicious new something for dinner, your 'kitchen crew' will be learning an important life skill (aka cooking) that will serve them well in life.
So, enjoy the doing, the creating together, and whatever you do, don't blink because before you know it they'll be inviting YOU over to THEIR PLACE for dinner.
Get the recipe...
Tomato, Basil Pasta That's Allergy Friendly
(Serves approximately 4)
Ingredients
16 oz of dried gluten-free penne or spiral pasta (or pasta that's safe for your diet)
5 to 6 very ripe Roma tomatoes (OR 1 - 14 oz can of diced tomatoes)
1 bunch of fresh basil
4 tablespoons of olive oil (or oil you can use)
¼ to ½ teaspoon of black pepper
½ to 1 teaspoon of salt
Let’s get started!
Cook your pasta according to package directions. For best results season your water with a pinch of salt while cooking the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, clean your tomatoes and fresh basil, and roughly chop the tomatoes. Pull the basil leaves from the stems and tear the leaves.
In a pan over medium heat, add in the oil and tomatoes until they are warmed (around 4 minutes.) Next, add the basil, salt, and black pepper and stir until well incorporated.
Ensure that your pasta is well drained, then toss it with the tomato basil sauce.
Top with vegan/safe parmesan cheese alternative if you'd like. You could also add chickpeas or grilled chicken for extra protein. Salad and warm, crusty bread go perfectly with this kitchen creation.
Tips
1. Substituting Tomatoes:
Instead of Roma tomatoes, you can use other kinds of tomatoes. Just be aware that other types of tomatoes will have more water in them and less tomato flavor when warmed. One way to fix that is to fire-grill them or roast them in the oven beforehand. (This also works on non-ripe tomatoes.)
2. Gifts from The Garden:
This is an excellent summer dish to use up your tomatoes and basil from the garden.
Bon appetit!
About the Author: Chef Martha Morgan (aka Allergy Dragon) is a specialty diet and allergy chef who shares tips, tricks and best recipes from almost 30 years of professional cooking experience on social media and at the Allergy Dragon's Lair.
Chef Martha provides support in the kitchen to everyone with food allergies, food intolerances, and specialty diets. Her expertise includes providing a full range of cooking guidance in the kitchen from technique, to finding safe products, to handling those new products, to creating (or re-creating as the case may be) recipes.
Connect with Allergy Dragon on Instagram (@allergy_dragon), Facebook (@allergydragon), Twitter (@AllergyDragon), and LinkedIn and follow Allergy Dragon on YouTube.
Images: Courtesy of Allergy Dragon