Caprese Pasta Recipe!
This Caprese pasta with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil is the perfect speedy dinner – only a handful of ingredients and ready in 15 minutes!My family loves pasta dishes and I love quick and easy dinners. That’s why caprese pasta is a hit in my home. Some other family pasta favorites are cheeseburger pasta and taco pasta.
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Mixing bowls
- pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound thin linguine or any pasta you like
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil divided
- 5 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/4 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 24 ounce cherry or grape tomatoes halved, (this is equal to 2 American dry pints)
- 2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved, (this is equal to 2 American dry pints)
- salt to taste
- 12 ounce mozzarella balls or a large ball cut into bite sized pieces
- 10 basil leaves
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta until 1 minute less than al dente.
- Heat a large pan to medium-low and saute the garlic in a ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil until golden (about 2 minutes). Once golden add the hot red pepper flakes and cook for 20 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes while waiting for the pasta.
- Add the pasta and 1 cup of pasta water. Toss to emulsify.
- Once the pasta is al dente remove the pan from the heat and add the mozzarella balls and toss once more. The residual heat will slightly melt the cheese.
- Season with salt to taste and add the basil leaves by hand tearing them into pieces. Drizzle with the remaining extra virgin olive oil. If the pasta is at all dry just add a bit more of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Enjoy!
Notes
Notes
- If you want the cheese completely melted just add it to the pan at the same time as the pasta instead of adding it when the pan is removed from the heat.
- Makes 4 large or 6 moderate-size servings.
- Always reserve extra pasta water to thin the sauce in the event it dries out.