Can you imagine to have pasta without a bit of tomato sauce? Today it seems impossible, but in the past our beloved main courses were always served without tomato, which was considered to be toxic and was cultivated only to decorate gardens and terraces.

The first ones to realize the culinary potentials of this tasty and versatile ingredient were the Neapolitans. That’s how magic began in the kitchen: salad tomatoes, stuffed tomatoes, fried tomatoes... but for the very first recipe of spaghetti with sauce we had to wait until 1839!

Yet cooked tomatoes have amazing properties. They are rich in lycopene, which is a natural antioxidant and antitumor substance that can prevent your body cells from aging. It also gives tomatoes its typical red color.

In today's recipe, we will enjoy cherry tomatoes scalded in a pan with a little chili pepper, a valuable natural aid against hypertension, and a touch of salty ricotta, because it's important to add flavor even to the healthiest dishes.

Ingredients:

350 g Antonio Amato penne

400 g tomatoes

basil

2 cloves of garlic

Chilli pepper

50 g salted ricotta cheese

50 g Parmesan cheese

Antonio Amato extra-virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Recipe:

In a large pan, fry oil, garlic and chili pepper. Then remove the garlic and add the chopped tomatoes. Let it cook for about 20 minutes. Let pasta cook in a lot of salted water, and then, when ready, season it with the sauce, adding the fresh basil leaves. Add the salted ricotta flakes and the grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy your meal!