Tomato and Basil Pasta {with Mozzarella}

Fresh basil and buffalo mozzarella over the top of a rich, tomato and basil pasta dish.

5 from 18 votes

Tomato and Basil Pasta {with Mozzarella}

This simple but classic dish involves roasting the ingredients to make a rich sauce, making this low-effort dinner into something special. Tomato and Basil Pasta is perfect served up as a family midweek dinner or a simple lunch.

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Sarah Rossi

Ingredients

For the sauce:

650 g Salad tomatoes Chopped into small pieces
250 g Cherry tomatoes
1 Head Garlic Left unpeeled. Top chopped off
3 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp Tomato purée
30 g Fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
300 g Pasta
125 g Buffalo mozzarella Drained

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Bring the mozzarella cheese out of the fridge to come to room temperature.
Put all of the sauce ingredients (reserve HALF of the basil for later) into a shallow baking dish. Toss well and bake for 40 minutes or until the tomatoes and garlic are very soft.
Ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, cook the pasta according to pack instructions and drain.
Carefully lift out the garlic (it will be hot!) and squeeze the inside of the cloves out into the pan with the roasted tomatoes. Discard the skin.
Blend the tomatoes and garlic until smooth, along with the remaining basil and the balsamic vinegar. (Depending on the temperature of the sauce at this point, you may want to put it in a small saucepan or the microwave to gently reheat).
Pour over the drained pasta, toss well and break the mozzarella over (if using).

Notes

Tomatoes: You can use any type of tomatoes you prefer here to meet the same total weight of 900g.

Garlic: I used two bulbs as mine were very small!

Nutritional info: The details include the cooked pasta.

Nutrition