Tips to get you started:

· Fresh basil can be used in place of fresh parsley

· Pasta made from lower carbohydrate ingredients is easily swapped in for regular pasta for a healthier spin on this comfort food, I recommend the Banza brand, and would not recommend miracle noodle type products, simply because of the texture they lend

· Heirloom variety “grape” sized tomatoes are easily used in place of larger tomatoes, I use about 12 to make up an equal quantity

Prep time: 10-15 minutes

Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1/2 Tablespoon sea salt for pasta cooking water

6 cups water

4 oz Dry pasta such as elbow macaroni, cavatappi, gemelli or penne

2 Oz Parmesan, grated

2 Tablespoons salted butter

2 Cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 Medium heirloom tomatoes, cored and quartered

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Part one: In a large pot, bring 6 cups water to a boil, add sea salt and pasta. Cook the pasta to package directions for an al dente finish. Drain the pasta and rinse with hot water to prevent sticking.

Part two: Into the same pot used for the pasta, melt the butter. Add minced garlic to the butter and cook until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the pasta to the pan with garlic and butter and stir to coat.

Part three: Mix tomatoes, Parmesan and parsley into the pasta and season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Serving suggestion: Enjoy as a main course with a garden salad.

Tiny chefs at home? They can help:

·        Measure ingredients

·        Strip the parsley leaves off the stems (if you do not want stems included)

·        Grate the cheese

·        Peel the garlic

Nutrition information:

Total Calories: 118 // Total Fat: 4 g // Cholesterol: 12 mg // Sodium: 70 mg // Total Carbohydrates: 17  g // Dietary Fiber: 1 g // Sugars: 2 g // Protein: 3 g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.