The Best Spaghetti I Ever Ate

I have a habit of going to the gym and heading straight for the machines right in front of whatever TV is set to the Food Network Channel. I frantically memorize everything I learn and try (and sometimes fail) to piece things together as soon as I’m back to my computer. Some days I even take things so far that I stop at the grocery store on my way home for ingredients so I can try my new recipe as soon as I’m back in the kitchen.
On one of these days, after catching a part of “The Best Thing I Ever Ate!” I raced from the gym to Fresh Grocer to purchase six simple ingredients and try out the spaghetti recipe I had just learned.

Having never made spaghetti from scratch, I was thrilled to start with such a delicious recipe. My friends and I became obsessed with this spaghetti over the next few weeks and repeated the recipe over and over again. We appreciated the basic ingredients and the simple, fresh-tasting entrée they produced. 

Ingredients:

Fresh Basil
Clove of Garlic
Olive Oil
Stewed or fresh tomatoes
Spaghetti Pasta
Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

Drain the stewed tomatoes of excess juice and blend in a food processor or blender. If using fresh tomatoes, remove the skin, chopped roughly and drain before processing.
Combine chopped basil and olive oil in a large saucepan. Roughly chop the garlic clove into a few pieces and add it to the mixture. Heat on low long enough that the basil wilts, but not long enough that the garlic burns. Remove the cloves of garlic with a fork and add the blended tomatoes. Stir until well mixed.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and begin to cook the spaghetti pasta. When the pasta is almost cooked, remove from heat and drain. Add the partially cooked spaghetti to the mixture in the saucepan. Keep this mixture simmering until the pasta is fully cooked. This helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
If desired, add grated Parmesan cheese to thicken the sauce and alter the flavor and texture of the spaghetti.

Enjoy!