Mozzarella and tomato pasta is a small piece of Italy. It is like taking you on a gastronomic journey. You can try this dish not only in the restaurant, but also at home. This will require simple ingredients, imagination and a little time. Different types of pasta are prepared, for example, spaghetti or penne rigate, that is, long and thick pasta. It directly depends on taste preferences.
Pasta with fresh tomato and mozzarella sauce
Mozzarella pasta is a combination of taste and tenderness. To prepare this dish, you need to take the following ingredients:
- a kilogram of tomatoes;
- 350 grams of pasta;
- two tablespoons of grated parmesan;
- 150 grams of mozzarella;
- three leaves of basil, preferably purple;
- clove of garlic;
- salt and pepper;
- onion head;
- a tablespoon of olive oil.
Cooking a fragrant dish with an Italian accent
First you need to prepare a sauce for pasta with mozzarella. To do this, take tomatoes - it is better to peel them, which can help boiling water. Wash the tomatoes, cut them crosswise, not very deep, then pour boiling water for literally a minute. Then they need to be carefully removed and begin to remove the skin - first from the point of incision. After this treatment, it is very easy to peel the tomatoes.
Set aside three tomatoes and chop the rest coarsely. Take a pan or stewpan, heat a spoonful of olive oil in it. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Fry these ingredients in oil for about five minutes, stir occasionally. Then add the tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cut one leaf of basil in half and add to the tomatoes. Cover the pan and simmer the mozzarella pasta sauce for about an hour.
The remaining three tomatoes are chopped coarsely. When the hour has passed, add them to the sauce and report the remaining basil.
Now is the time to cook the paste itself. It is better to follow the tips from the packaging, as different types are prepared in different ways. Typically, mozzarella is added to the sauce and boiled for about two minutes. Turn off the stove, and pour the pasta over the sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. If necessary, you can further decorate the pasta with mozzarella basil leaves.
What is the plus of this dish? The sauce is tender, but slices of tomato are still felt, giving piquancy.
Baked Dish: List of Ingredients
There are many pasta recipes with mozzarella. But not everyone knows that it can be baked. But this dish is so tasty and original. To prepare it you will need:
- 250 grams of pasta;
- one lemon;
- several branches of basil;
- 150 grams of mozzarella;
- the same amount of ricotta;
- one onion;
- a pair of garlic cloves;
- two tablespoons of olive oil;
- 400 grams of tomatoes;
- a teaspoon of dried oregano;
- salt and pepper to taste.
To start, prepare the sauce. To do this, take a stewpan and fry finely chopped onions and garlic in olive oil. When they change color, become transparent, they need to add peeled and chopped tomatoes. Salt and season the dish with black ground pepper. Next, simmer under the lid over low heat for about an hour. Add sugar if necessary if the tomatoes were acidic.
Making pasta with mozzarella and tomatoes
Boil the paste, but drain the water three minutes before being cooked. This kind of broth is not poured, it will come in handy later on. Finely chop the basil. Squeeze the juice from the lemon, remove the zest. If you do not like the taste of the zest or lemon, you can reduce its amount in the recipe, however, it is not recommended to refuse this fruit at all.
Next, put the ricotta in a bowl, add lemon juice and basil, stir in the zest. The result should be a sauce with the consistency of liquid sour cream. Therefore, it is usually diluted with water from cooking pasta.
Mix pasta and ricotta sauce. Lightly grease the baking dish with butter, put a part of the pasta with sauce on it. Smear everything with tomato sauce and lay out the pasta again. It is best to make several layers. From above everything should be covered with grated mozzarella. Place the pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella in the oven for twenty minutes - before the cheese is browned. Serve the dish hot.
The easiest pasta recipe
To prepare a quick and original dish, you need to take:
- 200 grams of pasta;
- 200 grams of chicken;
- one hundred ml cream;
- clove of garlic;
- one mozzarella ball;
- salt and pepper;
- Bay leaf.
This dish is prepared quickly enough, so this is a great option for dinner.
Tasty pasta with cheese and chicken
First you need to prepare the chicken fillet, it needs to be boiled as follows: bring the water to a boil, salt and pepper, add the bay leaf, and then send the chicken breast there. You need to cook until cooked. The secret of soft and tender chicken is that it needs to be cooled in the broth. Next, you need to cook the pasta.
Next, chicken should be cut into cubes. Pour a little oil into a preheated pan, fry the chicken fillet for a minute, add garlic, passed through a press. Pour in the cream and simmer for another five minutes to thicken. Pour the pasta over the sauce. Mozzarella must be finely chopped. Sprinkle a dish on it. Pasta with mozzarella and chicken is ready! Serve the dish while it is hot. You can also decorate it with basil leaves or finely chopped parsley.
It's no secret that pasta is a very tasty and quick dish to prepare. You can cook it with different sauces and get different results all the time. Also, everyone understands that this is also a real lifesaver for those who do not have time to come up with what to eat for dinner. Delicious pasta with tomato sauce, garnished with a sprig of basil, or a baked version with a crust of melted cheese - all this will delight the whole family. Such recipes make it possible to turn an ordinary family dinner into something special.