Fresh Tomato Pasta

Fresh Tomato Pasta

I really enjoy making fresh pasta. I often use vegetables and herbs in homemade pasta for added flavor. I decided to make a fresh tomato pasta today, using, well, a fresh tomato or two. I normally use tomato juice in this recipe, but since I had fresh tomatoes, I just used fresh tomato. I put a medium sized tomato in the blender and pureed it until smooth. I left the skin on and the seeds in. I didn’t have quite enough liquid, so I added a couple cherry tomatoes and blended again. The pasta might look a little pale to you. I assure you, it was made with tomatoes, but the pasta fades a little when cooked. I also used an orange tomato, so it was never going to be a bright red color. The flavor, however is quite nice. Subtle, but definitely tomato. Here is the recipe.

Fresh Tomato Pasta

2 c. flour

1 t. salt

½ -2/3 c. tomato juice- I just pureed a fresh tomato in the blender, seeds, skin and all. You might need a little more.

Fresh minced herbs, like chives, basil, parsley, rosemary, optional

Place flour and salt in bowl and stir to blend. Start adding the tomato juice, stirring to form a firm dough.  Knead until smooth and cover dough, allowing to rest at least 20 minutes. I like to mix the dough in a food processor. Just mixes faster. You can also mix in a stand mixer using the dough hook.

Once dough is rested, roll out to desired thickness and cut into noodles or use as the base for ravioli.  Fresh pasta cooks in just a couple of minutes. Watch carefully.

Serves 3-4.