BeyondPasta

This recipe gives me a summery feeling, but since Spring is approaching quickly (too quickly??) and here in Florida it’s already 84°F (29°C) outside, I feel it’s not too out of place to post it today. Moreover I actually make this pasta year round so why not today.

This recipe is an italian staple: mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil make the italian flag ;) Plus olives from Italy are FANTASTIC!

A very quick recipe. You can start to chop the ingredients while the water comes to a boil and heat a pan for the sauce when you toss the pasta in, the sauce will be ready by the time your pasta is ready to be drained.

This is one of my favorite pastas, and I have to say that when I look at this picture here, I’d eat the screen!! :P

The following ingredients are for a pasta for 2. The best pasta for this recipe is penne.

Ingredients

• 5 tbs tomato sauce
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 10-15 olives, black, green or a mix
• 1/2 mozzarella ball, about 2 oz (50 gr)
• basil leaves

Directions

Bring some water for your pasta to a boil and start preparing the ingredients for the sauce.

Cut the olives in 2-3 parts and the mozzarella into small cubes. You could use shredded mozzarella but the flavor won’t be quite the same. I use Sorrento whole milk mozzarella, I find it at Publix and Walmart, this is the best store bought mozzarella I found in the US.

When your water boils add the salt and toss the pasta inn.

Heat, at low-medium, the tomato sauce with the olive oil and the olives in a pan. I use strained tomatoes from Parmalat, it comes in a red carton. You can use it straight from the box for this recipe. Don’t overcook the sauce, turn the heat off if it is thickening too much.

Add the basil leaves, roughly cut, to the sauce a couple of minutes before it’s time to drain the pasta. And turn the heat off before adding the pasta.

When the pasta is ready, drain it and toss it with the sauce. Add the cubed mozzarella and mix thorough. The heat from the pasta will slightly melt the mozzarella. You don’t want it completely melted or it will tend to stick together!

Serve and enjoy!