So, apparently yesterday’s ode to tomatoes, basil and mozzarella had such a strong effect on me…that I had to eat it immediately. And since I happened to have a big stack of heirloom tomatoes from my weekend farmers market trip, I only needed a few extra ingredients to make a simple summer pasta that would satisfy all caprese cravings. The key to this heirloom tomato pasta is chopping up the tomatoes into really big, rustic chunks and then barely cooking them…only until they’re warmed through and soft, not broken down into a sauce. Ditto with the scallions – they should still be bright green with a slight crunch. With generous pieces of fresh melty mozzarella, these ingredients are amazing served over penne, linguine or any other kind of pasta… I used the fresh spinach spaghetti that I’d picked up from Pasta & Co’s stand at the market. The whole concept here is to use what you have, what’s in season, what sounds delicious to you… because isn’t that what simple summer cooking is all about? Keep reading for more photos and the heirloom tomato pasta recipe…
*images by Camille
Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Scallions & Mozzarella
Serves 2
This Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Scallions & Mozzarella is the pasta of the summer. Your cure to all of those caprese cravings.
Prep
5 minutes
Cook
15 minutes
Categories
vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 large heirloom tomatoes (the gnarlier the shape and crazier the color, the better)
- kosher salt
- bunch of scallions, thinly sliced lengthwise
- bunch of basil, torn into large pieces
- 5 or 6 oz of fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini), or one large piece cut into 1" squares
- 1 lb pasta (I used fresh spinach spaghetti, but plain penne or linguine would work just as well)
- Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring pasta water to a boil in a large pot, add a healthy dose of kosher salt, then cook the pasta according to package directions. When it reaches al denté, drain. While the pasta is cooking, start the sauce.
- Chop the tomatoes into big, 1" chunks. Over medium heat, swirl a tablespoon of olive oil to coat the bottom of a large sauté pan. Cook the minced garlic until it starts to turn golden, then add all the tomatoes and their juices. Let cook for 2 minutes, then add scallions. Let cook for a couple minutes just until the scallions start to get a bit soft. Sprinkle vegetables with kosher salt, then add basil (reserving a few sprigs) and cooked pasta.
- Add fresh mozzarella, kosher salt and pepper, another drizzle of olive oil to get all the pasta strands lightly coated, and give it all a big toss. Serve in bowls garnished with a few sprigs of basil and freshly-grated parmesan.
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Comments (17)
Author
This sounds scrummy! I can’t get enough of cherry tomatoes and basil at the moment – yum!
Emma x
This looks and sounds delish and super easy. Perfect for summer!
This looks delicious! Did you buy or make your own spinach spaghetti?
It’s fresh spinach pasta from Pasta & Co. in Austin – they set up a stand at the farmers’ market on Saturdays, and everything is SO delish.
Can’t wait to try this! I had past last night, but I’ll have to do it again 🙂
I’m definitely going to try this out!! It looks so good for a summer dinner party.
It looks delicious 🙂
delia
http://www.lovelaughlipglosses.com/
I make something similar to this often for a quick dinner, but I actually prefer not to cook the tomatoes- I think it’s a texture/temperature preference! I just heat up some olive oil with minced garlic and add red pepper flakes (a good addition if you like some spice) and throw in tomatoes after I have combined the pasta and oil. I always recommend this meal to friends who are new at cooking because it’s so simple.
Delicious
Tomato and Mozzarella has to be the BEST food combination EVER!!
YUM!
Any thoughts on make-ahead? I would love to serve this at a party tomorrow night.