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This gemelli pasta recipe with fire roasted tomatoes and feta is a quick and easy dinner recipe! It’s full of flavor despite the 30-minute cook time.
This post was created in partnership with Muir Glen Organic. All opinions are our own.
There’s something about September that feels like a reset. It’s back to school, and back to the kitchen for fall-like cooking instead of summer shortcuts. It feels like chili and casserole time, even though the weather is still sweltering hot still and our basil plant is still hanging on! We’re starting to get that cozy feeling where we just want to snuggle in for a meal with friends and family. And since back to a schedule means quick weeknight meals: let us present to you this quick gemelli pasta recipe.
What’s gemelli pasta?
What’s gemelli pasta? Gemelli is a type of short cut pasta, though it’s a bit longer than penne. The name comes from the Italian word for “twins”. However, gemelli are not twin tubes twisted around one another: it’s a single s-shaped strand twisted into a spiral.
Alex and I love using new and different pasta shapes: somehow they seem to taste even better! (Right?) So we used gemelli in this quick dinner recipe to make it seem fancy: even though it’s a simple 30 minute recipe!
How to make gemelli pasta recipe
This gemelli pasta recipe with fire roasted tomatoes is a quick dinner recipe that can be used to beat hangry moments. You know, moments when you’re so hungry you get angry? As you may know, Alex and I have a long-standing love affair with fire roasted tomatoes. Their beautifully mellow flavor lets you skip the hours of simmering that would be typically be needed with canned tomatoes. You can use them pretty much straight out of the can!
Here we’ve used fire roasted tomatoes to create a quick, flavorful tomato sauce with garlic and basil, thrown over gemelli pasta with a sprinkling of feta cheese for a salty burst. It also has spinach and white beans to provide additional nutrients and make it a bit more filling.
Serve this gemelli pasta with a crisp and simple salad (maybe with some homemade salad dressing), and it’s a quick and easy weeknight meal that puts hanger to shame.
Looking for recipes with fire roasted tomatoes?
Outside of this gemelli pasta recipe, we’ve used fire roasted tomatoes in many other recipes! Here are a few of our favorites:
- Easy Marinara Sauce
- 5 Minute Pizza Sauce Recipe
- The Best Margherita Pizza
- Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa
- Creamy Vegan Tomato Soup Recipe
- Thai Curry Pizza with Naan Bread
- Baked Goat Cheese Appetizer with Tomatoes
Looking for more quick dinner recipes?
Outside of this gemelli pasta recipe, here are a few more quick dinner recipes:
- Easy Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Mushroom Pasta with Goat Cheese
- Quick Coconut Lentil Curry
- Loaded Quinoa Tacos
- Simple Eggs and Beans
- Easy Pasta Puttanesca
- Orecchiette Pasta with Tomatoes
- Vegan Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
This recipe is…
This gemelli pasta recipe is vegetarian.
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Gemelli Pasta with Tomatoes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 1x
Description
Here’s a quick and easy dinner recipe: gemelli pasta with fire roasted tomatoes and feta! It’s full of flavor despite the 30-minute cook time.
Ingredients
- 1 pound gemelli pasta (or other short cut pasta such as penne, fusilli, rotini, cavatappi, or rigatoni)
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus additional leaves for a garnish if desired
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 28-ounce can Muir Glen Organic fire roasted crushed tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 15-ounce can Great Northern white beans
- 4 to 6 ounces feta crumbles
- 6 cups baby spinach leaves, packed (and chopped roughly if the leaves are large)
- Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil with 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Boil the pasta according to the package instructions. When al dente, drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and mix it with a glug of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Mince the garlic. Chop the basil; if desired, thinly slice any remaining leaves and reserve them for a garnish.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, basil and red pepper flakes and saute for 30 to 45 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, onion powder, garlic powder, and kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, cover, and gently simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse the white beans, then stir them into the tomato sauce in the last 5 minutes.
- Once the pasta and sauce are done, pour the sauce into the pot with the pasta, add the spinach, and stir constantly until the spinach is wilted. Add ½ cup of the feta crumbles and fresh ground pepper, then taste and add additional kosher salt as desired. To serve, garnish generously with feta crumbles, and top with fresh basil if desired.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Gemelli pasta, Recipes with Gemelli pasta, Pasta Recipes, Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, Quick Dinner Recipes,
Late August and early September still feel like the beginning of the year to me. The seasons are shifting and everything’s possible again. I love it.
This pasta looks fantastic. I need to start stocking up on fire roasted tomatoes- that way I can make this pasta next time I have a fierce hunger and a little time.
I love the way it feels to stock up on a pasta that feels fancy but doesn’t take any more effort than typical spaghetti or pene noodles.
Also, fire roasted tomatoes are absolutely my new go-to, now. Tiny changes add little luxury to every day meals.
Awesome weeknight dish! I love fire-roasted tomatoes, but it’s definitely an American pantry favorite. Can’t find them here in Europe. And yes, with a light coolness in the air, I’m definitely getting back in the mood for comfort cooking and turning the oven on. Thanks for a delicious and quick recipe idea you guys!
darn, I was thinking this recipe was going to tell you how to make your own fire roasted tomatoes. So many coming out of the garden, I can’t stand the idea of buying canned tomatoes! Maybe I’ll try roasted them myself and then trying this recipe! Thanks for the inspiration.