Ina’s Summer Garden Pasta with Video Tutorial

Ina's summer garden pasta

Ok, here is my first attempt at a “homemade” cooking video.  When I say first attempt, I mean first attempt.  Zoe and I pulled this together yesterday afternoon, and there weren’t any re-takes, we shot and edited with what we had.  I’m proud to say that this video was filmed and edited by my 12 year old daughter, Zoe. Yay Zoe!  Zoe is always shooting videos with her friends, and editing up a storm, so I asked her if she might want to earn a few bucks by filming some videos for the blog this summer. I think she did a wonderful job, and all in all, for our first video, I think it turned out pretty good.  Making your first video is like putting together your first blog post or posting your first photograph.  It can be a bit intimidating, but you have to start somewhere, so here you go.  The video has a cute ending, so stick with it.

I hope you enjoyed the video portion of this recipe (geez, I sound like a stewardess on an airline). For those of you that want the classic recipe post, I have added that as well below.

I seriously love Ina Garten, and have quite a few of her recipes on this blog. Her recipes are easy to follow and perfect for the “everyday” cook. This pasta one of my favorite summer pastas, as the ingredients are simple and fresh, and the flavors are amazing. This pasta is the perfect make-ahead meal. The tomato marinade take literally 5 minutes to assemble and it can sit out anywhere from 4-10 hours at room temperature. The longer it sits the better.

I make this up in the morning and let it sit out all day, and then at dinner all I have to do is cook up some angel hair pasta (2-3 min) and mix the pasta with the tomato marinade and cheese. Easy peasy!  Perfect simple, meatless, weeknight dinner!

Tomatoes in bowl

It’s also the perfect meal to serve up at a dinner party, because it’s virtually a one-bowl meal (less dishes to clean up) and so easy to prepare because all you have to do is throw in the capellini right before serving (the capellini only takes 3  minutes to cook). Instead of slaving over the stove, you can spend quality time relaxing with your friends. Now, that sounds great to me!

Ina's summer garden pasta

Ina’s summer garden pasta

Recipe adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home
Serves 6

  • 3 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (roughly 5-6 medium cloves)
  • 12 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 pound angel hair pasta or GF pasta
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving – you can omit the Parm if vegan or DF, as it tastes great without 

Wash up the cherry tomatoes and basil.  Cut the tomatoes in half.

Cherry tomatoes

Slice up the basil into thin strips.

Sliced basil

Combine the cherry tomatoes, 1/3 cup olive oil, minced garlic, chopped basil, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/2 salt and freshly ground pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine.

Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for a minimum of 4 hours.

Ina's summer garden pasta

Just before you’re ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the capellini and cook according to the directions on the package (be careful, as it only takes 2 to 3 minutes to cook capellini pasta).

Drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the bowl with the marinated tomatoes.

Give the pasta a toss and then add in the 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese and mix together. 

Serve up the pasta in large bowls and top with some Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Ina's summer garden pasta

Another thing I love about this pasta is that you can usually get two nights out of it (at least in my family).  Serve this up with some crispy garlic bread and you have the perfect simple summer meal.

My lacinato kales salad pairs perfectly with this pasta. The flavor pairing  is amazing. 

Kale salad in serving dish

With love Jackie

Ina's summer garden pasta

Recipe by Jackie
4.5 from 4 votes
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cook time

3

minutes
Total time

13

minutes

    This is an easy, kid approved summer weeknight pasta that uses fresh seasonal ingredients. Make the tomato marinade in the morning and let it sit out all day so that all of the flavors combine. Come dinner time all you have to do is cook up some angel hair pasta (2 min) and combine the pasta with the tomato marinade. Easy peasy.

    Ingredients

    • 3 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

    • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (roughly 5-6 medium cloves)

    • 12 large basil leaves, julienned, plus extra for serving

    • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

    • ½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt

    • freshly ground black pepper to taste

    • 1 pound angel hair pasta or GF pasta

    • 1½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving - you can omit the Parm if vegan or DF, as it tastes great without it

    Directions

    • Wash up the cherry tomatoes and basil. Cut the tomatoes in half, and slice the basil into thin strips. 

    • Combine the cherry tomatoes, 1/3 cup olive oil, minced garlic, chopped basil, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ½ salt and freshly ground pepper in a large bowl and toss to combine.

    • Cover with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature for a minimum of 4 hours.

    • Just before you're ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the capellini and cook according to the directions on the package (be careful, as it only takes 2 to 3 minutes to cook capellini pasta).

    • Drain the pasta.

    • Add the pasta to the bowl with the marinated tomatoes.

    • Give the pasta a toss and then add in the 1½ cups Parmesan cheese and mix together.

    • Serve up the pasta in large bowls and top with some Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

      Did you make this recipe?

      Tag @marinmamacooks on Instagram and hashtag it #MarinMamaCooks

      Like this recipe?

      Follow us @marinmama on Pinterest

      Did you make this recipe?

      Follow us on Facebook

      Nourish your inbox!

      More to explore

      33 thoughts on “Ina’s Summer Garden Pasta with Video Tutorial”

      1. is this what dinner at your house is like every night??? how civilized! everyone helping…wonderful! we are just starting to get tomatoes out of our garden. this recipe will be a great way to use the bounty in the coming weeks 🙂

        1. Hi Jullzie. Yes, most nights. We always try and sit down as a family for dinner, as that’s important to us. It bonds us and relaxes us. It’s a great time to catch up with each other.

          I wish I had a green thumb to grow some bounty in my backyard.

      2. Love that Zoe! I’m going to show this to the girls and get them to help make it. Maybe that will get them excited about eating something new. Fingers crossed! xoxo

        1. Thank Cathie girl! I will post some videos of Zoe cooking so the girls can follow some of her favorite recipes. They will be more “kid friendly” dishes.

          xoxo,
          Your workout buddy!

      3. i love that you did a film and I love even more that you seem to be like myself and I would rather show every step imaginable rather than show myself in the film! LOL! I hate being in front of any camera. the pasta looks amazing girl. perfect for this summer.

      4. I.LOVE.YOUR.FAMILY!!!! ANd how talented is Zoe – Ive tried to put together videos (not of cooking, but of our wedding and other stuff like that..). Anyways – they have always been AWFUL. This, on the other hand, is wonderful. Your kids are very blessed indeed. Cant wait to see yo soon!!! xoxox

        1. Hey Em! Zoe loves reading all these comments and the emails I have received. She always wanted to get a video on youtube and it’s now officially there.

          I say, just make a video and get it out there. We are our worst critics. I had Zoe film and edit the video because I wanted it out of my hands. I knew if I put it together that I would end up scrapping it. Can’t wait to see you as well. I’m off to that food staging course in your neck of the woods today! Wish me luck. It’s from 10:00 till 5:00, LONG DAY!

      5. Lori Hammer Boudreau

        I knew the “play days” back in grade school would eventually get you somewhere in life…soooo funny!! What was the one line you said the entire play?? “That’s what I say” Love your blog Jackie!! 🙂 Miss you!

        1. Lori girl! How are you? Thanks so much for reaching out. I was just thinking of you as the kids as I visited my dad and brother last month. We were looking through old pictures, and of course, there were tons of you and I with those beautiful “big” hairdos. I grabbed two that I wanted to send you. There is a great one of you in the van, (big blue Nellie) with your blue bandana on. Anyway, the universe is amazing how it connects us all. You think of someone and boom, you’re in touch with them.

          I totally remember that play and my “one liner.” I hit the big time then ☺

          I hope all is well with you and the kids. Miss you as well and thanks so much for reaching out. I love hearing from old friends.

          xoxo,
          Jackie

      6. Jackie
        We’re in Tahoe on vaca right now and I am going to buy the ingredients for this fab dish!!! Will be perfect on the deck in the warm weather! Zoe did a wonderful job, I had all my girls watch it:)

        1. Happy Summer Amanda. Great to hear from you. I hope the pasta was a hit. I made up an amazing and easy pasta tonight that the whole family LOVED! I’ll be sure to post it next week.

          Glad everyone enjoyed Zoe’s video.

      7. Hey Jacquelyn,
        You know what? I tried to make this 2 times before (finally) successfully pleased my family.
        But it is worth the hard work. LOL.
        Anyway, thank you for making me look like a professional. 🙂
        you can submit your summer-garden-pasta photos to Food Photography to make others hungry.
        You know it’s fun to make others hungry. Especially when they are so hungry they finally want to create your recipe. 🙂
        It is worth the try. 🙂
        Thanks!

      8. This was so great, loved the video, it was simple, creative, fun and sweet. I’m a photogrpaher and work with video a lot, And it was impressive, keep up the good work zoe.

      9. I came across your blog and couldn’t resist checking out your videos, and I have to say I’m so glad I did… This video touched me a little bit, as it makes me look forward to the days when I can sit down together with my own family and enjoy a freshly prepared meal together. Zoe did an amazing job btw!

        1. Hi Melissa! Thanks so much for taking the time to watch the whole video and for your kind words. I read the comment to my daughter and it brought a HUGE smile to her face, so thank you! I tell you, cooking for my family and sitting down each night is my FAVORITE part of the day. It’s really brings a family together. I can’t wait for you to share in that experience some day as well 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and saying hi Melissa. 🙂 xoxo, Jackie

      10. I have a bunch of tomatoes and will try this soon. However, I’m wondering if you have ever made it with different past shapes, like bow tie, ziti or campanelle? Would that work or do you need the spaghetti pasta shape?

        1. Hi Emily! I like it with the angel hair best because the sauce really sinks into the pasta, but feel free to try another type of pasta and let me know how it turns out! 🙂 xoxo, Jacquelyn

      11. Mmmmm…there is no way I’m not making this with garlic bread sometime this week. Thank you for these fabulous weeknight ideas!

      Leave a Comment

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Scroll to Top