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« Cheesecakes in Jars | Main | Pesto Bread »
Friday
Aug052011

Two Tomato Pasta with Mozzarella, Basil & Pine Nuts

bowl is from Mystic Mud Studio in Hood River, Oregon


With all the tomatoes in the garden right now, here is great way to use some of those up.  This pasta combines two types of tomatoes - one batch that is slow roasted in the oven and another that is just cut up, fresh.  It requires no real cooking, just letting the little grape tomatoes sit in the oven for a couple of hours at 300 degrees F and then boiling the pasta.  Everything is just tossed together in the serving bowl to create a fresh summer pasta dish with a minimal amount of effort.

When buying the mozzarella, try to find the type that is packed in water and comes in tubs. It's much fresher tasting and the texture is better than the type that is vacuum sealed.

Tip:  I've also made this recipe using only grape tomatoes for both the roasted and fresh.  Works great. 

Two Tomato Pasta with Mozzarella, Basil & Pine Nuts

for a printable recipe, click here

serves 4 

Use the best extra virgin olive oil you can.   You can also use just grape tomatoes for the whole recipe. 

Ingredients

  • 10 ounces of grape tomatoes
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced or grated
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • salt & pepper
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 10 ounces spaghetti
  • 14 ounces very small tomatoes (about 8 to 10), cut into chunks
  • 4 ounces mozzarella, cubed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • about 10 basil leaves, julienned 

 

Instructions

For the slow roasted tomatoes:  Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil.  Spray the foil so the tomatoes do not stick. Slice grape tomatoes in half and place on baking sheet, cut side up,  with the garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season with some salt and pepper.  Toss well. Bake for about two hours or until the tomatoes are reduced down and have lost a lot of their moisture. 

Toast the pine nuts: Place pine nuts in a small skillet.  Cook over medium high heat just for a few minutes, until lightly toasted. 

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil.  Cook the pasta just until al dente. Remove with tongs and place in a large serving bowl (don't drain- you want a little pasta water still on the pasta so it doesn't stick). Add the slow roasted tomatoes, the toasted pine nuts, the fresh tomatoes, the mozzarella, 4 tablespoons olive oil and the basil leaves.  Season generously with salt and pepper and toss well.  


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Reader Comments (37)

Fantastic summer pasta dish!

August 5, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterMaria

Looks so fresh and delicious! Great recipe!

August 5, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterNoelle

This looks delish--and your pictures are so stunning! Love the bowl =)

My Flash-Back-Friday hop is up again, hope you can link up again this week!
~Carolyn
Flash Back Friday #11

August 5, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterCarolyn

Looks completely yummy!

August 5, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterSteve Z

Wow that looks so good! And were did you get that bowl? It is very nice.

August 5, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterLucia

What a great looking bowl - in every sense of the word - the actual ceramic bowl and the contents. But I love the light you captured on the photograph of the tomatoes too.

August 5, 2011 | Unregistered Commenterciaochowlinda

I'm growing a little grape tomato called Juliet that would be perfect with this dish! Can't wait to try it. Thanks.

From The Italian Dish:

Christina: That's funny, because Juliet is my very favorite tomato!

Lucia: I have a link to the bowl from Mystic Mud Studio in the post. Thanks.

August 5, 2011 | Registered Commenter[Elaine]

I can't wait to try this. My tomatoes are not ready yet, too much rain in the NW. I love Mystic Mud. I visit them whenever I get a chance.

August 5, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterAmy

That looks so sumptious and I love that bowl.

August 5, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterJacqueline

Perfect timing for this post, I'm gathering many tiny tomatoes on a daily basis now. Beautiful food, beautiful bowl!

August 5, 2011 | Unregistered Commentermarie

How bright are those tomatoes!! This looks like the perfect pasta dish. I might try it with wholemeal penne as I have a heap to use up!
x Megs
www.scrambledmegs.com

August 6, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterMegan

I made this with pan-roasting the tomatoes (a lot quicker; I didn't have 2 hours to wait for the oven haha) and then used vegan mozz. It was stupendously delicious. Thanks so much!

August 6, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterLaura

my eye went right to that bowl -- oh i love it!!
the pasta is simple and fantastic all at once.
A++ on this photography
thank you for another inspiration.
Oh my new summer drink has been the aeperol, orange stoli and pelligrino- i top with the lime juice (and sometimes) a splash of cointreau. The bitter orange flavor is wonderful and perfect for summer.
can't wait for your next post

August 7, 2011 | Unregistered Commenteramy

Oh Elaine, looks so very yummy! The food looks amazing, but my eye was immediately drawn to that beautiful bowl! I was just reading the other comments, and EVERYONE loves that bowl. Guess you brought that home from your last trip? Great photography.

August 8, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterLeta

Nice pictures. I love slow roasted tomatoes. Need I say I also love the bowl? :)

August 9, 2011 | Unregistered Commentermisbah

I love your recipes.

Sabine,sternchen56

August 9, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterSabine Heinz

Beautiful!

August 10, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterRach

First time visitor and just bookmarked the Pesto bread and tomato soup/crisps recipes. We have tons of both tomatoes and basil to use up. I will check your posts often. Thanks for a great site, I am looking forward to searching around. And yes, the bowl is gorgeous!

August 10, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterMichelle

I make a Caprese pasta a lot - but I love this idea with the pine nuts - sort of a deconstructed pesto. And roasting some of the tomatoes - delectable. The photos welcome.

August 11, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterClaudia

What's better than tomato with mozzarella? I will try this out tomorrow!!

August 15, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterFrozen Calzones

This dish looked awesome and I made it tonight exactly the way the recipe was written.
It not only looked as beautiful as in the picture, but it was absolutely delicious! I got raves from
everyone, especially my husband. I checked the grape tomatoes roasting in the over after one hour
and they looked almost done so I shut off the oven and let them sit in it for a few more hours until
we were ready to eat. PERFECT! The flavors of the two tomatoes with the other ingredients were
better than any restaurant. Love the pine nut touch and of course, I love my basil and garlic.

Thank you so very much for all of your wonderful recipes. I have made many of them including the
no knead bread. Fabulous! Keem 'em coming, you are the best!

August 28, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterHelen

Your website does not disappoint - you are truly talented.

September 3, 2011 | Unregistered CommenterPaul D

I found this recipe on Pinterest. We had it for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! Thank you for a wonderful recipe.

February 26, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterMelissa

i made this and i think it was a little bland. Next time maybe will add some more garlic, and some red pepper flakes

June 25, 2012 | Unregistered Commenterjodi28coop

Just served this for dinner tonight. Delicious! Love that it's light and fresh. Yum!

June 25, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJenna

Just made this for a dinner party! Wonderful! See my blog for a photo!!!

July 12, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterFelisha

I'm not really fond of tomatoes... but those are fresh and great looking ones! Makes me want to dig in. And your recipes here are oh so amazing! I'm not a good cook or something, but i really want to try those Cream Puffs with Chocolate Sauce... Thank you so much :)

August 10, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterAprille

This sounds wonderful, and looks fabulous. I think I will make this for our bible study kick off brunch in 2 weeks!

September 5, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterJeanette Brunet

This recipe combines so many of my favourite things! I can't wait to try it!

September 15, 2012 | Unregistered CommenterKate

I'm a first time veiwer and I can say I love the gorgeous salad, (in the beautiful bowl) but the salad really caught my eye. It's a light meal in it's self and that I love. I'm making it as I write to take to a ladies church function tomorrow. I was wondering if it's good cool or better warn. I thought about making it tonight and placing it in the refrigerator and eating it cold. It seems to be a salad for either way, and that I like too. But I'm making it to be warm. I'm getting ahead
on some of the ingredients.

June 7, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMarsha

This is a fantastic summer entree, or side dish. Very versatile, you can add additional protein such as shrimp, squid, chicken, or various varieties of beans. I love this recipe.


Guy Humeniuk

June 28, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterGuy Humeniuk

Fabulous recipe - and loved seeing the bowl from a town just down the road from me!

July 9, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterEngred

I have made this 20 or 30 times now. EVERYONE loves it. And the leftovers are amazing. When my brother in law comes he requests this and then hides the leftovers. The only changes I make is that I use all cherry tomatoes and add kalamata olives. It is so darn good!

August 20, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterNorthern Italian at Heart

Making a version of this again tonight - with pesto and flakes of BBQ'd salmon. YUM!

August 20, 2013 | Unregistered CommenterMichelle

There is no other country that does it as good as the italians! I had this experience in Perugia, watching Nonna's of Montepetriolo pay the deepest attention to their cooking. This meal looks great and I'll definitely give it a shot!

I've written a few blog posts about how to cook pasta and my experience of making gnocchi in Perugia, check them out! :)

http://bit.ly/ZVSQ4x

October 12, 2014 | Unregistered CommenterTea & Basboosa

I made this dish last night for a small dinner party - it was insanely delicious! Might be my fave
Summer pasta, ever!! I used fresh linguine and it was to die. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!

August 23, 2020 | Unregistered CommenterJuliana Spaghetti

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