Penne With Cherry Tomatoes & Fresh Basil

• 1 lb penne
• 2 -3 pints cherry tomatoes or 2 -3 pints grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 -4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Optional
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 8 ounces broccoli florets
• 8 ounces chicken, cooked and sliced

1. Heat water for pasta.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet and saute garlic for a minute or so.
3. Add tomatoes, salt & pepper.
4. Start cooking the pasta now.
5. Cook tomatoes over medium heat for ~7 minutes.
6. Add basil. (If you're adding additional ingredients, do so here.) Simmer 3-5 minutes (or until your veggies are as tender as you want them).
7. **I've found that adding a little bit of pasta water to tomato mixture before you drain the penne really evens out the dish.
8. Toss tomato mixture and parmesan with pasta. Serve with fresh Italian or French bread.

penne, tomatoes, fresh basil, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, pepper, mushrooms, broccoli florets, chicken

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/penne-with-cherry-tomatoes-fresh-basil-256122 (may not work)