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When living in an Italian household, there is one meal that is pretty much a given every single week and that is pasta. Every Sunday you will see a pot of sauce simmering on the stovetop. It is tradition and a tasty one at that. Yet, when summer arrives, the stove and oven are off limits for the most part because, well, it's too hot! So, I try to keep Sunday pasta simple, fresh and delicious. I've learned a few secret tricks in the kitchen over the years and today I'm going to share one with you that I know you will use not only during the summer, but all year long. What's my secret?

Chicken broth! Yep! Of course, I use this for soups, but there is SO MUCH more you can do with this ingredient to add a punch of flavor to almost anything. I use it in mashed potatoes, gravy, soups, rice, and my new favorite recipe of Fresh Bruschetta Pasta.

Lucky for me, while shopping in Sam's Club for college supplies for our youngest, I came across Swanson's new 6-pack of Chicken Broth! Score!

 

And since I was loading up on soap, razors and such for the boy, I put him to work grabbing my 6-pack off the pallet to place in our cart! I also grabbed some tomatoes because my deck garden has yet to produce one ripe tomato. Sad, but true.

Once home, I grabbed my ingredients and set out to make a dinner that is easy, fresh and delicious, but first I needed to get my secret ingredient into the freezer.

Kitchen tip Number 1: Freeze your Chicken Broth! 

That's right, I said freeze it! Have half a container of broth left and don't know what to do with it? Pour into any ice cube maker and freeze. They make perfect portions for quick sauces, soups and stews. Once frozen, pop them out and place into a zip-lock bag. No waste!

Kitchen Tip 2: Cook Your Pasta In The Broth Instead of Water!

 

Add instant flavor to your pasta (or rice) by cooking in broth rather than water. It adds instant flavor and no need to use salt. Cook pasta according to package directions and you are good to go!

While your pasta is cooking, chop up some tomatoes

 

And cube some mozzarella cheese.

Mince fresh basil (I happen to have a lot of this right now!)

Toss into a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and a 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar. Toss with 1 tsp. garlic salt and set aside.

In a medium fry pan, add 1 Tbsp. Olive oil and 1 clove minced garlic. Heat over medium heat until garlic is light brown.

Grab a Chicken Broth ice cube from your tray and add to hot pan.

 

Add 1/2 container of Mascarpone cheese and 1 tsp ground pepper. Stir until melted and turn off heat.

Scoop out pasta with slotted spoon or spider utensil and add to bowl of tomato mixture. Pour garlic sauce from pan over pasta & tomatoes and mix gently. Top with grated cheese and serve.

This is delicious hot or cold!

 

Want to try some? Follow my recipe below and you too can enjoy Fresh Bruschetta Pasta!