Penne With Cherry Tomatoes & Fresh Basil

I found the basis for this recipe in a magazine somewhere. This is not a saucy dish, but it's healthy and yummy. Though the recipe calls for just a few basic ingredients, I've added veggies (mushrooms, broccoli) and chicken (Schwan's pre-cooked fajita chicken is really good in this--just thaw it out and throw it in!) to make it a full meal. It's easiest to cut everything up while the pasta water heats.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  lb penne
• 2 -3  pints cherry tomatoes or 2 -3  pints grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1⁄2 cup fresh basil, sliced
• 1⁄4-1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2 -4  garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper

• Optional

• 8  ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 8  ounces broccoli florets
• 8  ounces chicken, cooked and sliced

Directions

1. Heat water for pasta.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet and saute garlic for a minute or so.
3. Add tomatoes, salt & pepper.
4. Start cooking the pasta now.
5. Cook tomatoes over medium heat for ~7 minutes.
6. Add basil. (If you're adding additional ingredients, do so here.) Simmer 3-5 minutes (or until your veggies are as tender as you want them).
7. **I've found that adding a little bit of pasta water to tomato mixture before you drain the penne really evens out the dish.
8. Toss tomato mixture and parmesan with pasta. Serve with fresh Italian or French bread.