Three cheese and Tomato Tortellini

Hello Readers,

So, I am at it again, searching for new recipes to feed my boys and avoid the towering cholesterol levels found in restaurant food and decided to improvise upon one I found on cooks.com. Normally, I would buy a pack of Buitoni three cheese tortellini and boil the pasta and then just add the instant Buitoni pesto sauce found in the same dairy section, but recently Chafeek expressed his dislike for it. And so, I had to find a new way to cook tortellini. After searching all over the Internet, I stumbled upon one that looked enticing, but it called for 45 minute preparation time and 30 minutes of cooking time. I only had 30 minutes to cook and prepare before I had to pick up Layth at 12. Given the alluded time I had to cook, I decided to use my own sense of taste and conjure up something that would at least be edible. I was worried it would just be one disastrous science experiment, but thankfully, the boys the liked it. Well...at least Chafeek liked it!

Ingredients:

• 1 Package of Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini
• 1 Package of Organic Cherry Tomatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon of Basil
• 1/4 teaspoon of Oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of Italian Seasoning
• 2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 can of Hunts Diced Garlic Tomatoes

Preparation:

First, you should prepare the pasta as you normally would: Bring to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 11-13 minutes or until the pasta is tender. I usually add a teaspoon of salt to avoid the pasta from sticking. Meanwhile, cut the cherry tomatoes into small circular pieces and add them into a skillet. Once you have added the cherry tomatoes, empty the diced tomatoes and add them as well as the spices and allow them to skillet until they are soft in tender. I allowed my nose to be the determinant factor, once I could the smell the sweet aroma of spices, I knew the sauce was just about done. It probably took no more than fifteen minutes. As they skillet, drain the pasta and stir in the two tablespoons of the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The sauce should be done by then, and just add that into the pasta and mix in. I promise you, it does taste good!