Quick & Gorgeous Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta

It's not out of the ordinary for me to over-buy when it comes to food. I can't help myself when I pass a basket of juicy bright tomatoes, I will add them to my cart even though I know I already have tomatoes at home. So, I often I end up with many "soft" and sometimes moldy tomatoes in my fridge... Well, there is no reason to throw them away. This colorful, delicious pasta dish always gets eaten up to the last morsel. It's a wonderful dish to make with tomatoes that are on their way out and it can be prepared in no time.
All I do is wash the tomatoes, cut off the rotten parts and discard, and chop the rest into chunks- it doesn't have to pretty or perfect. That's the beauty of this recipe (also, the fact that all you will need are 5 straightforward ingredients). By the way, cherry tomatoes and fresh tomatoes of ANY kind can be used in this recipe!

Quick & Gorgeous Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta
Serves 4- 6, but can easily be adjusted for the number of people you are feeding

16 ounces of pasta, your choice ( I like using large shells for this because they really scoop up the amazing sauce)
4 cups chopped tomatoes, skin on (or cherry tomatoes, or  a variation)
1/4 cup olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled
6 fresh basil leaves, I was lucky enough to get my hands on lemon basil- you must try it if you haven't!
lots of salt and black pepper, to taste
chili pepper flakes, if you like it hot

  

 Preheat oven 400. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Place the tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic in a large baking dish, season with salt and pepper- taste the tomatoes to check if there is enough seasoning.

 Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes, until tomatoes have swollen up and are soft inside.

 Spoon the pasta directly into the baking dish that the tomatoes are in. 

 Toss well, scooping up all the leftover oil from the bottom of the pan. 

Tear the basil leaves into small pieces over the pasta, and toss in. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt, pepper and chili flakes. 

 The smell, the look, the taste- so good!