Saturday, August 20, 2011

Pasta with Bread Crumbs and Herbed Tomatoes



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had more than a passing encounter with Mother Hubbard's dilemma today. I've been madly preparing for an extended trip to the coast and dinner time rolled around with packed suitcases but nothing more for dinner than a defrosted steak that desperately needed something to keep it company on the plate. The cupboard was, indeed, nearly bare and I wasn't up to a last-minute grocery shop. It was obviously going to be a make-do supper. That occasionally happens here, and, when it does, I have a handful of recipes that I fall back on. This is one of them. I make this dish once or twice a year when I have stale bread and ripe tomatoes that must be used. It's not my favorite recipe, but it is serviceable and makes a really nice accompaniment to plain grilled meat or chicken.I routinely use stale bread to make crumbs and usually have a supply in the pantry. Because I have them in ready status it takes only minutes for me to make this pasta. If you are going to make crumbs just for the pasta, it will take about an hour for them to properly dry and toast, so plan your time accordingly. I've included instructions for preparing crumbs in today's recipe. If you make the recipe from start to finish you will need a couple of hours to put everything together. An easy shortcut is the use of panko bread crumbs. If you use a gentle hand, panko has enough substance to stand in for homemade crumbs. If you use them, you would begin with step 3 in the recipe below. This is really easy to make, and, if ever you are in need of a quick go-with, you might want to try this pasta. Here's the recipe.

Pasta With Bread Crumbs and Herbed Tomatoes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

1/2 large loaf country-style bread, crust removed
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves, chopped
6 large, ripe, Roma tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Balsamic or red wine vinegar to taste (optional)
12-ounces dried fusilli or other short tubular pasta

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
2) Cut bread into pieces. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process bread, in batches, to coarse crumbs. There will be about 3 cups of crumbs. Spread in a shallow baking tray and toast in the oven for 1 hour, or until dry and crisp but not brown.
3) In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes, or until crumbs are golden. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
4) In a glass or ceramic bowl, combine tomatoes and chopped herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a splash of vinegar to intensify flavor of the tomatoes, if you desire.
5) In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta per package directions until al dente. Drain well.
6) Transfer pasta to a warm, shallow serving bowl. Toss with reserved 1 tablespoon olive oil. Pour tomatoes over top and toss to combine. Add bread crumbs and toss again. Serve immediately.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings.







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You might also enjoy these recipes:
Linguine with Heirloom Tomatoes - Life's Ambrosia
Best Summer Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes - Stacey Snacks
Summer Sweet Corn Pasta - So Tasty, So Yummy
Caprese Pasta Salad - A Girl in Her Kitchen
Pasta Salad with Grape Tomatoes and Mozzarella - Alida's Kitchen
Fresh Tomato Pasta with Herbed Bread Crumbs Montreal - Savoring Time in the Kitchen

49 comments :

teresa said...

oh how delicious! i love the buttery breadcrumbs on top, lovely!

Anonymous said...

You always have something to make pasta yummy:)

Alessandra said...

I love pasta with breadcrumbs, especially when I vegan friends round for lunch and they don't eat parmesan on pasta :-).

Have a good weekend

Alessandra

Diane said...

Hope you have a lovely trip to the coast. Drive safely.
This pasta dish looks yummy to me. Take care Diane

The Magic Pie said...

Mary, pasta with breadcrumbs is one of my favourite recipes for pasta. Maybe sometimes I'll put my recipe and you could take a look!!!
yours looks so good!!!
See you soon :D
Laura

Hiperica di Lady Boheme said...

Una ricetta fantastica!!! Complimenti!!!!

Maris (In Good Taste) said...

You are amazing to call this a make do dinner! Looks so good! have a fabulous trip!

Sue/the view from great island said...

I think our definition of bare cupboards is a little different. You are truly an artist! Have fun on your getaway to the coast.

Lynn said...

I would love this Mary, I'd call it comfort food. Have a great trip:@)

Janine said...

my first thought was, ooh i have the same plate too. second thought was - this is such a brilliant idea! i'm always on the look out for pasta ideas and this looks really simple but delicious!

Kasia said...

I love all of those ingredients so it must be delicious! :-)
Greetings from Poland :)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

This has now become a staple around my home too Mary.

Unknown said...

This is my favorite pasta combination.

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

Toasted bread crumbs add a lovely crunch to pasta. I'll have to add olive oil and garlic when I make it or my husband won't think it is Italian.

Kim said...

I like this kind of side dish. Plus, with great and rippened tomatoes, it can be quite tasty. Have a nice saturday Mary!

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

All I can say is we though alike this week! My last post is practically the same dish :) It is a wonderful pasta with those fresh tomatoes and breadcrumbs.

Tanna said...

Pasta, breadcrumbs, tomatoes... oh, yeah. =) blessings ~ tanna

That Girl said...

It's like a panzanella pasta!

polwig said...

Perfect fall on recipe. I have never had tomatoes with bread crumbs but I am sure they are amazing, polish serve their cook green beans with same breadcrumb/butter sauce.

StephenC said...

We have homemade breadcrumbs in the freezer at all times. We toast up leftover hunks of bread and bust them up with our meat pounder or in the food processor. Also, it's handy to mix them with panko too. Your recipe is the kind of thing we would make at any time it seemed necessary.

Anonymous said...

ooo,, thats lovely,, just yummy,,

Linda said...

I like this recipe because there is no cheese!! We are dairy free, but we love our pasta and it's hard to find pasta recipes without cheese. Have a wonderful trip!!

Mother Rimmy said...

I've never topped pasta with bread crumbs. I love the idea! I'm with you. I routinely save the last pieces of bread in a bag in the freezer. Then when I want whole grain bread crumbs (can't find those at the store), I can make my own.

JasmyneTea said...

I actually have the same issue, thanks for this idea, I wasn't sure what to make!

Anonymous said...

I've bookmarked this one!
Karen

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

Delicious. I had that same problem... nothing to cook and no energy (after our trip) to shop that night. PASTA to the rescue!!!

Ginny Hartzler said...

this looks beautiful! Yes, Panko are so much better than regular, do you know how they get it that way?

Anonymous said...

What a great easy dish to prepare! It looks very tasty.

Foodiewife said...

I think you found a brilliant solution to making dinner out of almost nothing. Pasta is such a safe "go to". Panko crumbs are a staple in my pantry. I love the crunch that they add to recipes. Enjoy your trip!

Food Glorious Food! said...

I have some stale bread too and this sure gonna be perfect! Thanks dear and have a good weekend!

SweetSavoryPlanet said...

This is such a classic pasta dish and so delicious. Never seen it with fresh tomatoes - what a great idea!

Gloria Baker said...

Mary look delicious and the breadcrumbs, gloria

Unknown said...

I think it looks like a good recipe to have up my sleeve here in our village!! Thanks!

Azlita Aziz said...

Thank you dear for yr visit. Your cookings and writings are perfectly blended, just like yr nice recipes. Have a safe trip.

Plateful said...

This looks simply mouthwatering! I'm craving for a mouthful!

PeggyR said...

That sounds wonderful and very quick to make!

From the Kitchen said...

Looks good to me. Enjoy your idyll by the sea.

Best,
Bonnie

Joanne said...

The bread crumbs must add such great texture and flavor! Have fun on your trip!

Jihane @ Sinful Sundays said...

Love the breadcrumbs on the pasta. Looks de.lish. I hope you have a great trip!! :)

Gopika Ram said...

Wow.. they look so buttery and yummy :D I love pasta.. :D

Terri @ that's some good cookin' said...

You know, Mary, I have been clicking through your blog tonight and the thought occurred to me that if I would make even half of the wonderful recipes you have here, I would never need to eat out again. You have such an amazing collection of truly delicious recipes.

Cooking Creation said...

I've never served my pasta with breadcrumbs on top but I have a feeling my husband would love it!

Unknown said...

Gorgeous! I actually have found that some of my "make-do-suppers" are some of the best meals I've made :)

Allison O'Mara said...

Thanks for including me in your list! Everything on your blog looks SO good!

Rosita Vargas said...

That sounds wonderful and very quick to make!I love pasta with breadcrumbs :-).

Becki's Whole Life said...

Pasta with breadcrumbs is wonderful and the addition of tomatoes is great! My neighbor just delivered a bag full of tomatoes to my house last night so this is perfect timing!

Unknown said...

this recipe is perfect...and well done..kiss Simmy

Katie said...

mmmm this looks and sounds wonderful! I will definitely be trying this soon.

The Harried Cook said...

This sounds and looks great, Mary! I have made breadcrumb pasta before, but the similarity stops at the name :) I can't wait to try yours! Thank you for sharing!

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