We used penne rigate pasta for this dish because its ridges catch the pieces of tomato, garlic, and chive. Rigatoni or medium shells would also work well.
Everyday Food, May 2009
- Prep Time 10 minute
- Total Time 25 minutes
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Yield Serves 4
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Ingredients
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6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
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Coarse salt and ground pepper
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12 ounces penne rigate
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1 tablespoon olive oil
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1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
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1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
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2 garlic cloves, sliced
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1/4 cup snipped chives
Directions
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Place cheese in freezer. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.
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In pasta pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and pasta water. Cook until cherry tomatoes soften, 2 to 4 minutes.
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Add pasta, chilled cheese, and chives to pot, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
Cook's Note
Chilling the mozzarella cubes in the freezer for 15 minutes helps them retain their shape when they're added to the hot pasta.
Pretty decent recipe although I found the addition of pasta water unnecessary--maybe a splash but the entire cup was way too much. Otherwise pretty tasty.
SOOOOO QUICK AND EASY! A favorite of mine since I saw it in the magazine! Another tip... if you like melty mozzarella, get low moisture... if you want the mozzarella to retain it's shape as you heat and reheat... get a higher moisture content mozzarella. I have made this dish with both and there is a pointed difference. Both are good, I just like melty cheese :)
Quick, easy
Great and easy meal that the whole family loves. I use the whole wheat pasta to make it a bit healthier. I also allow the cheese to melt in the dish; it turns almost into a pink sauce. Delicious!
Easy, quick and tasty. Great for a weekday dinner.
I bet this would be great at room temperature too!
This is pretty good recipe - you can see how mine turned out at http://marthaandme.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/pasta-with-2-tomatoes-and-mo...