After leafing through a few Italian cooking magazines that I picked up while in Italy last week, a simple crabmeat pasta lodged in my brain and was all I could think of while having to sit through a long day of conference calls. A quick trip to the market and I was ready to create my own version of this Sicilian-inspired pasta. This flavorful pasta is the perfect mid-week dinner – simple, fast and yummy. Add a green salad and a bottle of crisp white wine and dinner is ready! Enjoy!
Pasta with Crabmeat, Tomato and Basil
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound of fresh jumbo lump crab meat (I used claw meat)
- 1 pound spaghettini or other thin spaghetti
Directions:
- In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the chopped onion and saute until soft – about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes, basil, salt, and red pepper flakes. Bring sauce to a boil.
- Simmer sauce over low heat until slightly thickened, stirring frequently – about 15 minutes.
- Pick over the crab meat, removing any shells.
- Stir the crabmeat into the mixture and allow to cook for about 5 minutes to warm the crab meat. Do not over cook. Remove from heat.
- Cook spaghettini in boiling, salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Drain pasta in colander. Place drained pasta back in the pasta pot. Stir in the reserved pasta water and 3/4 of the crab meat sauce. Toss quickly.
- Transfer to serving bowl. Spoon remaining sauce on top and garnish with additional chopped basil.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!