Week 4: Basil Bowties

Jordan came home from a trip to the lake with her grandparents toting a binder of recipes.  She was so excite to show them all to me and decide which we would make first.  As she read them out loud, she came to "Bazee Bow-tee's."  I said "What!?" and looked over to read the page upside down, "That would be Basil Bowties."  Cute!

Source: Adapted from Rachael Ray
Overall Impression: So fast! Yummy!
It was ... surprisingly full-flavored for a dish with so few ingredients.  Took just a few minutes to make and the whole family loved it.  But the basil leaves discolored, so it wasn't very pretty on day two.

Basil Bowties
Time = 20 min
Servings = 10 (side dish)

Ingredients
1 lb mini bowtie pasta
3/4 c pine nuts
spray olive oil
sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to tast
Parmesan cheese, grated for sprinkling

Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add pasta and simmer until al dente.  Drain.

Spread the pine nuts on a cookie sheet.  Spray with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Toast by putting in oven with the broiler on.  When they start to brown (about 5 minutes), shake around and toast until most are brown.  Set to side to cool.

In a large serving bowl, mix cooked pasta, 1/4 cup olive oil, cottage cheese, basil leaves, cherry tomatoes and salt/pepper.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Note - I suggest serving with grilled chicken.  Start the chicken at the same time as the pasta and it should be done about the same time.