Fusilli alla Caprese

The name itself should tell you that this recipe is either straight from a book or from a cooking channel. And for those who know how much I watch Food Network the latter should ring a bell. I recently saw this on Giada’s show and was waiting to try it since it looked very simple.

Instead of using jarred Marinara sauce, Giada gives a quick and simple way to make a chunky yummy sauce from Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic. I didn’t have Cherry Tomatoes on hand so on my next visit to the farmers market I bought some and made this without further ado. The original recipe calls for fresh Mozzarella but I didn’t find any at my grocers, hence used the packaged mozzarella. It tasted just fine.

You will need:

2 Cups Fusilli(Rotini) pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp Sugar
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ Cup Mozzarella cubed or shredded

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender Drain pasta into a large bowl.

In a pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky style sauce. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Serve immediately…or in my case eat immediately.

I added sugar to mellow the tartness of the cherry tomatoes since I’m not a big fan of tart foods. It was a perfect bowl of pasta for any night of the week.