One for the books. This was also really, really simple and tasted GREAT!

Ingredients:
Penne (I used whole-wheat, of course)
Half or whole tomato, depending on size
About 2 tbsp of julienned basil (fresh, preferred)
1 – 3 tbsp of parmesan cheese (use as much as you like, honestly!)
Salt and Pepper for taste
1/2 cup of herbed breadcrumbs (Tip: I used whole wheat Ritz crackers, and it was divine! But, good Italian breadcrumbs will do JUST fine!)
1 – 2 cloves of garlic infused in a good amount (varies amongst person to person) olive oil (It mellows out the garlic flavor and makes it nice and sweet and complements the basil and fresh, cold tomatoes)
2 tbsp of butter (Gives the pasta a nice little coating for everything to stick to and gives it a little rich flavor, but you can omit if you want! I wouldn’t!)

Boil a pot of water, salt it generously and add the penne. Cook until al dente. You want a little firm bite to it because you want it to go along well with the breadcrumbs you will be adding to it. Drain well and add the 2 tbsp of butter to the pasta and stir until coated and melted beautifully. Add the diced tomatoes and julienned basil and stir. Top with breadcrumbs and the delicious garlic-infused olive oil. Garnish with your parmesan cheese and enjoy your summery treat! 🙂

Also, this is optional, but I added some sliced almonds over the top for another crunchy, HEALTHY bonus! 😉