Spaghetti with Ricotta and Fresh Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. whole-wheat spaghetti
• 6 large plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesean cheese
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus basil leaves for garnish
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 ( 1 1/2-cup)

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook according to the package directions al dente.
2. While pasta is cooking, in a large bowl,combine the tomatoes, ricotta, Parmasean, chopped basil and garlic.
3. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta. Add pasta to the bowl with tomato mixture. Add oil, salt and pepper; toss gently. Add reserved cooking liquid and stir to make a sauce. Garnish with basil leaves and serve warm.

WW POINTS VALUE: 6 pts.

Note: This recipe appears in the South Beach Diet Taste Summer Cookbook. I have always wanted to try this recipe and today was the perfect day for this dish because it was a little hot outside to grill and I wanted some comfort food to fill me up. This was such a delicious dish I would have it again. The taste of a summer-fresh tomato from the farmers' market mixed in with ricotta, basil and Parmesean cheese. This dish is perfect for warm weather dinning because the only thing you have ot cook is the pasta. The sauce is cold and heavenly and can be used to make a different kind of grilled cheese sandwich for lunch the next day (if you have any sauce leftover!). I like to think of this dish as the alternative to spaghetti and meatballs and it's the perfect meal for vegetarians. One bite of this dish and you'll feel like you're in Italy.