Chances are, your garden—or neighbors!—are starting to hand out bowls of fresh cherry and yellow pear tomatoes, the basil and oregano are humming along, and you want something beautiful and easy for dinner. I feel confident, at least, on the last! So, herein, my quick recipe for a fresh, summery dinner for one (easily scaled-up by portion, depending on your bounty!).

Cook pasta: Just one portion of spaghetti (whole wheat, quinoa, whatever kind you like) should have the circumference of about the size of a quarter or smaller (make the OK sign with your fingers to check). Here, you’re using so much “other” stuff, you can scrimp on the pasta. Just get it cooking!

In the meantime, make your “sauce”:

In a small saucepan, heat about 2T of olive oil to medium high (it has a low smoke point, so don’t crank it up). Toss in your tomatoes—no need to chop them, just be sure they’re clean. Add some cracked black pepper, sea salt, and a smashed clove of garlic to swirl around in the oil. As the tomatoes start to get soft, you can smash them with the back of a wooden spoon or just let them go.

At this point, your pasta has just a few minutes left—a great moment to toss in some fresh beans (both ends trimmed) or asparagus (as shown in the photo). All you want is for these to blanch for about 2-3 minutes. The veggies should still be al dente, just like the pasta! As always, add whatever you might have handy, be it some shredded cabbage or carrots, lentils, or a handful of spinach and kale.

When your pasta is done, drain and add to the saucepan to mix, stirring in either chopped basil or oregano, whichever you prefer.

Pour into a serving dish and top with small, fresh mozzarella balls or parmesean (just make sure you’re getting some protein in here!), and ta-da! You’re ready.

Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it’s “worth it” to cook for one, but believe me, as I enjoyed this pasta on the deck last week, I felt energized and refreshed. It’s always worth it to put some time into caring for yourself.