Easy No-Cook Light Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce over Orecchiette

It's been a busy, busy week at work! 

We have one of our largest agents here visiting from Taiwan, and they brought their biggest group to date - almost 40 people! It's always so nice seeing old vendor friends and meeting new ones as well, and it's an added bonus to see my Taiwanese vendor friends since they remind me so much of home and of my extended family back in Taiwan. (They also bring the best snacks!)

That being said, by the time I get home from the office, I am exhausted and definitely don't have the energy to cook a fancy meal. It's times like this when I rely on what I call home cooked 'fast food' - and I've got quite a repertoire to share!

This quick & simple pasta involves just 4 ingredients, whirred together in a food processor, then served over some hot pasta...presto! 

Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner when you either: 

1. failed to plan ahead 2. are too exhausted to cook or 3. just want to eat, ASAP!

For all you non-cooks: You can make this! It's a no-cook pasta! 

I adapted this recipe from here. I'm not the biggest fan of cheese (in fact, I would say I just started eating it willingly at the end of last year), so I took down the amount of cheese here - but if cheese is your thing, feel free to amp it up! For me, I can never get enough of garlic and basil, so I definitely included healthy amounts of both of those here.

For the pasta, I used orecchiette since it holds the sauce so well in its little grooves - anything works though! 

Servings: 4

1 jar sun dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil - do not drain), about 6-8 oz 

6 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons grated Romano Pecorino cheese

2 handfuls fresh basil, roughly chopped

12 oz pasta of your choice

Directions: 

1. Add all ingredients to food processor and whir together until desired consistency (I process it pretty finely)

2. Cook pasta accordingly to package instructions. Before draining, save some of the pasta water and add it to your sauce to thin out the consistency.

3. Serve over hot pasta and enjoy!

Next time, I'm going to try adding some pancetta to this dish. 

It'll take the 'no-cook' out of the recipe, but I have a feeling it'll be worth it!

P.S. Gracie insisted that I show everyone what she eats for dinner as well...

IAMS Smart Puppy food...for the smart, smart puppy that she is!