Linguine with Tomatoes, Zucchini, Red Onion and Parmesan – A Heart Healthy Recipe

I recall the day it happened: I was at the gym working out and suddenly was hit with this bad feeling in my gut and sat for a minute trying to figure out what was happening. I went to my car to find some change to call my mom (this is before everyone had cell phones) and as soon as she answered the phone I said ‘What’s wrong?’ She said ‘Your Grandmother died’.

I said nothing for what seems like hours but was probably 30 seconds. I asked what happened and she said that she came home from work and told my uncle that she was tired so was going to take a nap. He went to get her up 30 minutes later for dinner and she had passed. She had a heart attack in her sleep at too young of an age.

She had heart problems but did not know. Well, maybe she did know in her heart but did not see a doctor. Why am I sharing this memory? Because I received an email on behalf of Conagra, the maker of Hunt’s about the latest tomatoes and heart health and whether I would be a part of a campaign sharing these facts and a tomato recipe. I asked if I could talk about using the Hunt’s organic canned tomatoes and the answer was ‘yes’ so here we are. Now, you know I try to find fresh seasonal ingredients but being in New England during the winter means that it becomes quite difficult to find fresh organic tomatoes plus, I usually keep canned tomato items in my pantry for spontaneous sauces etc.

Below I am sharing a few snipets of information from ConAgra, the maker of Hunt’s tomato products, that was presented at the American Dietetic Association’s Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo.:
*Research suggests a protective relationship between the consumption of tomatoes and tomato products and cardiovascular disease”

*Recent studies have suggested that the distinct combination of nutrients found in tomatoes may have a measurable impact on heart disease prevention.

*Calorie for calorie, tomatoes contain more than twice the potassium of other common sources such as bananas, potatoes, milk and orange juice.”

In addition, they wanted us to let you know that Hunt’s tomatoes are flash-steamed to help them keep their backyard-garden-fresh taste, are 100 percent natural and contain no artificial preservatives or ingredients.

Linguine with Tomatoes, Zucchini, Red Onion and Parmesan
Ingredients (Yield 5-6 servings)
1/2 box Whole Grain Linguine
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup red onions, julienne
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
3/4 teaspoons dried thyme
14.5 oz Hunt’s Organic Diced Tomatoes
1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced at an angle
1/2 cup water
salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Directions
1. Place a large pot of water on the stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare all vegetables.

2. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions. In a pan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat.  Add thyme and cook another 2 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, zucchini and water to the pan, season with salt and pepper, turn heat to low and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

4. Drain pasta and combine with the sauce, toss with Parmesan cheese and parsley and enjoy.

Do you have a tomato recipe that is your ‘signature’ dish?

Disclaimer: Hunt’s provided the data and compensation to me for sharing this information but guess what?  the opinions are mine and memories are mine.