A Simple Pasta Dish

I watched Giada make this pasta dish a few weeks ago on one of my favorite Food Network shows. I was home alone then and terribly hungry, and needed to fix a quick meal for myself. This was just perfect! It was incredibly easy and the recipe called for the simplest of ingredients- tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese- ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

Ingredients:
1½ cups uncooked pasta (I only had rigatoni in my pantry.)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 small tomatoes, cubed
3-4 basil leaves, chopped
2 Tbsp shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 Tbsp olive oil
Salt
Pepper


Method:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions or until al dente. Drain well after reserving a cup of the pasta water and return to the pot.

In a pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and shallots and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes are soft.

Transfer the tomato sauce to the pot with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and shredded mozzarella. Mix well. Add the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce. Serve.

It is amazing how these few, simple ingredients come together so well to produce a dish that is bursting with flavors. This recipe is definitely a keeper!


Other pasta recipes here:
Pinwheel Pasta in a Roasted Vegetable Sauce
Simple Pasta Salad
Pasta with Basil Pesto
Pasta with roasted Bell Pepper-Cherry Tomato sauce
Ravioli with Balsamic Brown Butter


Ruth, this simple dish is my contribution to Presto Pasta Night.