This is a recipe that is back by popular demand and my friends repeatedly request it when they know I’m making a dish for a party or potluck. It’s also a good one for a crowd because it is vegetarian. You basically coax little cherry tomatoes into being their own light and summery pasta sauce. It’s really a good one. Easy too!
You will need:
1 box large pasta shells (not jumbo)
1 ½ tbs olive oil
6 cloves of garlic minced
1/3 cup white wine (I had sauvignon blanc on hand)
1 lb cherry tomatoes halved
generous pinch of salt
pinch of pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 cups soft (water packed) mozzarella cut into ½ inch cubes
1 cup grated(or shaved) parmesan cheese
1 cup chopped fresh basil
The juice of one lemon (*optional addition I recently added)
Heat a medium-large saucepan over a medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add chopped garlic, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes; sauté for about 3 minutes.
Add cherry tomatoes for about 3 minutes, then white wine.
Bring temperature to low and simmer until tomatoes have broken down slightly and create a chunky sauce about 15 minutes.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta shells and cook for 2 minutes less than what the package instructions suggest or just before aldente. You will add the cooked pasta straight to the sauce, so do NOT strain or rinse when done.
When the pasta is done, use a slotted spoon and add to tomato mixture.
Stir sauce to coat pasta (if there doesn’t seem to be enough, you can add a ladle full or two of pasta water). Let cook for another 2 minutes or until pasta is at desired consistency.
In a large pasta bowl add pasta mixture, cheeses, and basil (and lemon *optional).
Toss to incorporate all ingredients evenly, taste and add salt as needed. Serve and enjoy!
[yumprint-recipe id=’14’]