Lemony Herbs & Tart Tomatoes

Lemon Verbena & Tomato Pasta

Nothing proclaims “SUMMER!” like a simple tomato and herb pasta.  Basil is a perennial favorite herb to use, of course, along with thyme and oregano.  Dill is another.  This year, though, I decided to plant a new herb in my garden: lemon verbena.  As its name suggests, it’s quite lemony!  Its softly fragrant leaves are tender enough to eat raw, but are sturdy enough to be easily chopped, and the verbena is managing to thrive in my garden even though my tomato plants have woven themselves through and around the verbena to become a tomato jungle.

Thanks to lemon verbena’s lemoniness, it’s perfect with seafood and light vegetable dishes, plus its attractive long and slim leaves make a pretty edible garnish on almost any plate.  And if you crush the leaves and then add them to a pitcher of cool water, you’ll get a refreshing, faint lemon taste.  Oh, and one last thing to think about when plotting out the residents of your next season’s herb garden: lemon verbena is a perennial!  I’m just hoping mine can survive this season’s tomato onslaught…

Lemon Verbena & Tomato Pasta

2 servings whole-grain pasta of your choice (I used Tinkyáda’s brown rice spaghetti)
About 20 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (or 10 per person)
Handful of lemon verbena, chopped
6 fresh green or wax beans, minced (optional)
Drizzling of extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch sea salt
A few grinds of pepper
A few slices or gratings of a hard, aged cheese like Parmesan or Manchego as garnish (optional)

Prepare pasta according to package directions, then drain and immediately toss with remaining ingredients.  If you don’t have lemon verbena, substitute other fresh leafy herbs like basil, oregano, or parsley.  Chives would also be a nice substitution or addition.

Enjoy!

Tags: lemon verbena, pasta, summer, tomatoes