Now That's What I Call Lunch! Simple Summer Spaghetti

Readers, readers, readers!  School's out, and while I still have time in my pre-college schedule, I'm going to blog my socks off.  That means cooking, eating, and cooking some more.  Here we go...

This is the start of a new segment, born from my weekends spent at home with my picky eater of a sister.  I love her to death, but she never seems to want to try the things that I cook.  On weekends, it's just us, and I have the freedom to play around in the kitchen, usually just to feed myself.

Recently I've made fresh pasta (pappardelle with crisped onions and sausage), as well as sauteed spicy vegetables with rice.

But this post focuses on what I made for my lunch today.  With half a Vidalia onion, a handful of cherry tomatoes, and plenty of determination and spices, I made a delicious (and satisfying) lunch for me and my mom.

Simple Summer Spaghetti:

Ingredients:
Half a medium-sized Vidalia sweet onion
About 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes
4-5 large leaves of fresh bouquet basil, chopped
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried basil
Pinch of red pepper flakes (to taste)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Enough spaghetti for about 3 people
Grated Grana Padano cheese (to garnish) **You can use Parmigiano Reggiano if you can't find the Grana.

Instructions:

1. Chop the onion into fairly small pieces (about 1/2 inch dice).  Salt lightly and saute in olive oil over medium heat until caramelized and golden, stirring occasionally.
2. While the onion is cooking, halve the tomatoes.  Once the onion is golden, add the tomatoes to the pan, along with all of the seasonings except the fresh basil.  Be sure to add enough salt...tomatoes love it.  Put about a quarter cup of water in the pan, lower the heat, and cover.
3. Cook the spaghetti, according to package directions, until al dente.
4. During the last minute of cooking the pasta, uncover the tomatoes and allow excess liquid to evaporate.  You may want to add a few tablespoons of the starchy cooking water from the pasta to the vegetables so they combine properly.
5. Drain the pasta, then add it directly into the tomatoes and onions.  Toss to combine, and allow everything to cook together for about a minute.  Add the chopped fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and some fresh-cracked pepper.  Serve topped with Grana Padano.

Buon Apetito!