Three Cheese Tortellini with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Summer is slowly drawing to a close. The sun is beginning to set just a bit earlier. The days are becoming shorter. It is time to make the most of these last few glorious days of bright sunshine and beautiful weather.

It is also time to make the best of the last few garden goodies. I spent last weekend raiding my parents' garden to get all the beautiful, juicy red tomatoes I could find. The result was over 10 gallons on tomato puree waiting patiently in the freezer for me to process into ketchup, spaghetti sauce, and chili sauce.

The few less than perfectly red tomatoes have been waiting patiently on my counter, getting redder each day, slowly reaching perfection.

Today I needed some comfort food. The good Italian kind that blends all the traditional Italian herbs, garlic, and tomatoes. And of course cheese. Italian food is never complete without some aged parmesan or some mozzarella.

I remember seeing a recipe similar to this in some magazine at the beginning of summer. I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it. I remember cutting it out. Then it vanished. I think Ralph ate it. Ralph loves to eat recipes. And coupons. And throw rugs. Ralph is definitely guilty. See....

I loved this recipe because it took less than 15 minutes from start to finish. I have to admit though, I cheated and used Buitoni refrigerated tortellini. I wanted fast and easy. If I wasn't feeling so lazy, I'd have made my own pasta too. I really would have. 

Three Cheese Tortellini with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Serves 2-3

9 oz cheese tortellini (I used Buitoni's refrigerated pasta)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp. red pepper flakes 

1/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

2/3 cup fresh tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 tsp favorite fresh Italian herbs (oregano, parsley, thyme, etc)

Cook pasta according to directions. Drain.

Meanwhile in a small skillet, heat oil over low heat. Saute onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes until onion is softened and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the olives and toss until heated thoroughly. Remove from heat. Toss olive oil mixture, pasta, and tomatoes together. 

Sprinkle with herbs and top with parmesan cheese.