Pasta with tomato and mozzarella


Servings: 2
Time: ½ hour
  • 250 g / 8 oz dried pasta shapes (I like penne in this one)
  • 1 tin (450 g / 16 oz) chopped Italian tomatoes
  • 1 ball mozzarella cheese (120–150g, 4–5 oz), drained and chopped into small cubes
  • about 50 g / 2 oz freshly grated parmesan
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped finely
  • dried herbs (bay leaf, oregano) to suit
  • 1 clove garlic
  • olive oil

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F.
  2. Put the tomatoes in a pan with a glug of olive oil plus any dried herbs you fancy, the garlic (either finely chopped or, if you want a subtler flavour, left whole and squashed with the flat of a knife) and a pinch or two of salt. Turn the heat up to medium and let it bubble away, uncovered, until there's no more watery business left in the bottom of the pan. This should take about 20 minutes. Check for salt when the sauce has reduced, and remove the bay leaf and squashed garlic (if you used them).
  3. In the meantime, cook your pasta in plenty of boiling salted water and drain it.
  4. When everything's ready, stir the pasta into the tomato sauce with the chopped basil and about half the parmesan. Pour half of it into an ovenproof serving dish (I use individual cast-iron gratin dishes), scatter the mozzarella on top, pour over the rest of the pasta and finish off with the remaining parmesan cheese.
  5. Bake near the top of the oven for about 10 minutes, until the mozzarella has just melted and the top is starting to brown. Don't overdo this – the mozzarella can go tough and stringy if you leave it too long.



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Created 27 May 2000, modified 27 May 2000

Copyright © 1998-2000 Jill Metcalfe. All rights reversed.
All lefts converted to rights and exported to Japan.