Crowd-Pleasing Pasta with Tomatoes and Artichokes

My sister Susan has been on the hunt for vegan cookbooks. She's browsed book stores, checked books out from the library and searched on-line. During all of this she texted (is that a word?) me the names of authors and titles of books, and soon I found myself on-line purchasing two new cookbooks.

This recipe is from "The Vegan Table," by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. It got great reviews on amazon.com. I've only made this one dish, but it was really good, easy, fast and certainly "blog worthy." Any changes I made are in parenthesis.

Crowd-Pleasing Pasta with Tomatoes and Artichokes

6 servings

16 ounces of whole wheat penne pasta
2 T. olive oil (I used 1 T.)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can (26 ounces) diced tomatoes (I used Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted)
2 T. tomato paste
1 can (15 ounces) artichokes
1 T. chopped fresh basil
1/2 C sliced black olives (I used kalamata)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook penne in boiling water until al dente. Drain right before serving. In a large saute pan, heat oil. Cook garlic for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not brown. Add canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Heat to near boiling. Add artichokes, basil, and black olives. Season with salt and pepper. Serve penne in a large bowl, pouring sauce over all and mixing together.