Olive Garden Penne Pasta W/ Tomatoes and Ricotta

Ingredients

• 4 medium tomatoes
• 8 basil leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon marjoram, chopped
• 12 ounces penne rigate, cooked according to package directions
• 1/4 cup romano cheese, grated
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

1. 1

   CUT a shallow “X” on the bottom of each tomato. Place tomatoes into boiling water and blanch for 15 seconds. Immediately cool in ice water.

2. 2

   Remove core, skin and seeds from tomatoes and dice. Place in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of olive oil, chopped basil and chopped garlic.

3. 3

   BLEND ricotta cheese with chopped marjoram; season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. 4

   Toss tomato mixture in a hot skillet. When mixture is hot, stir in Ricotta cheese blend.

5. 5

   ADD hot, drained pasta to tomato/cheese mixture. Stir to thoroughly blend. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with Romano cheese and chopped parsley.