Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Fusilli alla Caprese

Good Evening!!!

Today I made dinner - Yes, Zachary was the taste tester this evening and I was the cook (usually it is the other way around).

I was watching Giada on the Food Network one day and she made this amazing simple pasta that reminded me of summers back at home.  My hometown best friend Michelle and I would make these amazing pasta salads for lunch some days with fresh veggies and Italian dressing - and even sometimes shrimp!

Unlike the pasta salads, this is a hot dish but probably could be served cold as well!


Also for a healthier version, I used brown rice Fusilli instead of regular.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1 pound fusilli
3 tablespoons evoo
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (1 1/2 pints)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/2 cup)

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid then drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.  Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet 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 sauce, about 4 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta and too to combine.  Stir in the basil leaves and mozzarella, then add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist.

Here is a link as well to the Giada website where I got the recipe:
http://www.giadadelaurentiis.com/recipes/544/fusilli-alla-caprese

It's super easy and Zachary loved it!  So I was a happy camper!!!

Salud!
xoxo Sarah

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