But which recipe does the "Barefoot Contessa" star love most? Could it be her beloved weeknight bolognese, or her super comforting five-cheese penne?
I decided to find out during a Q&A session after Garten sat down with MSNBC host Willie Geist for a virtual author luncheon benefiting the Shelter Island Public Library on September 29.
When the Zoom chat opened for questions, I asked Garten which of her pastas was her absolute favorite.
"There's one pasta that's really easy that I just love, and it's summer garden pasta," Garten said. "And what you do is take a lot of cherry tomatoes and toss them with olive oil and let them marinate for four hours."
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"Cook some capellini and throw it in there," she added. "It's really easy, and a great summer and fall pasta dish."
What I love about Garten's dish is that it only requires a few ingredients, but it's packed with so much flavor. All you need is parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, and basil leaves. Garten's original recipe recommends angel hair pasta, but, as she said during the Q&A, capellini also works great.
And the recipe couldn't be more simple. All you do is prep the garlic and basil and throw them in a bowl with your tomatoes, olive oil, and seasoning.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit out on your counter (it needs to stay at room temperature) for about four hours. Once it's ready, just cook your pasta and combine. Add cheese and more basil on top and voila, you're ready to eat Garten's favorite pasta!
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It's been a year since I first made the summer garden pasta, and I still think about Garten's olive-oil tomatoes on a weekly basis. While the recipe is super straightforward, these tomatoes easily carry the entire dish thanks to their deliciously rich flavor.
And you can't beat how friendly this recipe is to both your schedule and pantry. All you need are some tomatoes, garlic, and basil, plus 10 minutes to spare on your lunch break to get the mixture ready in time for dinner.
In the words of Garten herself, how easy is that?
So I'm not surprised that the summer garden pasta is Garten's favorite. And, no matter the season, I'll be making it again and again.
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