Pasta with Arugula and Tomatoes

I was starving last night and had very few items in my pantry or fridge. It was definitely a scramble to put something together but after typing in a few things I had on-hand to Google, I found an easy pasta dish from Serious Eats: Pasta with Arugula and Tomatoes.

When making pasta, I am so quick to top it with either a canned sauce or butter and cheese that I never thing to make a simple oil and vegetable sauce. This was perfect! I loved the fresh tomato and arugula mixed with every bite of pasta!

Recipe:
1 pound pasta
3 cups cherry tomatoes (about 1 pound), rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 pound arugula
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano
salt

Directions:
1) Chop tomatoes into half-inch pieces. Pour olive oil into a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about one minute. Add the chopped tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes until they have softened, about five minutes.
2) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Sprinkle in a few tablespoons of salt. When boiling, add the pasta and cook according to the direction on the box. With about six minutes left in the time, add the arugula to the pot. Reserve half a cup of pasta water, and drain the pasta and arugula.
3) Turn the skillet with the tomatoes back to medium high, and then toss in the pasta and arugula. Stir together, and cook for a minute or so, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it is too dry. Season with extra salt and freshly grated cheese.

Recipe courtesy of SeriousEats.com