This is another one of those things that you can only really enjoy in the summer, when tomatoes are at their peak. Which makes it all the more sublime.

When I have lots of ripe tomatoes and need to use them quickly, I like to make panzanella, Italian bread salad, or this little pasta number, which is simply: tomatoes, garlic, a few red pepper flakes, sea salt and fresh basil at the end.

I’d gotten these tomatoes at Joel Thiebault‘s stand at President Wilson Market a week ago and they were so pretty, I didn’t even want to eat them. Purple tomatoes! Have you ever?

But time was marching on, and I was also short on time one evening, so I boiled up some water, threw in some pasta, and I rang the dinner bell less than 30 minutes later. Hmmm. Could there be a market for something called “Less than 30-Minute Meals?”

Super-Quick Summer Tomato Pasta

2 pounds cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
sea salt
fresh basil
12 ounces penne pasta
olive oil

1. Fill a large stockpot with cold water, salt generously with sea salt, place it on the stove on high heat.

2. Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a skillet, add garlic and red pepper flakes, and turn on medium heat. Cook until you begin to smell the garlic. Be careful not to let it burn.

3. Add the sliced tomatoes and let cook while the water boils for the pasta, and while the pasta cooks, too.

4. When the pasta is al dente, drain it, toss with the tomatoes in the skillet, then rip up some basil leaves and add to the mix. Serve with fresh grated parmesan.

See how easy?