Tomato Mozzarella Pasta with Basil
Spaghetti tossed in a fresh tomato sauce with melting mozzarella and torn basil. The starchy pasta water brings the sauce together so it clings to every strand.
- Total
- 23 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 18
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Cooking al dente · Emulsifying
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Bring 1 l water to a rolling boil in the large pot over high heat. Add 1/4 tsp salt.
~6 min
Salting the water seasons the pasta from within as it absorbs liquid, so the final dish tastes seasoned throughout.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the water heats, cut the tomato into 2 cm chunks, tear the mozzarella into bite-size pieces, and pick the bazil leaves.
~4 min
Tear the bazil rather than chop it; cutting bruises the leaves and dulls their aroma.
-
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Reserve 120 ml of the starchy cooking water, then drain the pasta.
~9 min
Reserving starchy cooking water is key: its starch helps the sauce emulsify and cling to the pasta instead of sliding off.
Cooking al dente Cook until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite, with a thin white core when broken. Start tasting a minute early to avoid overcooking.
-
Heat the olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat. Add the tomato and cook until it softens and releases its juices, about 5 minutes.
~5 min
Cooking the tomato softens its cell walls so it releases juices and becomes a sauce that coats the pasta.
-
Add the drained pasta and 100 ml of the reserved cooking water to the pan. Toss over medium heat until the sauce looks glossy and coats the pasta, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 20 ml water if it looks dry.
~2 min
Tossing over heat with starchy water emulsifies the oil and tomato juices into a glossy sauce that clings to every strand.
Emulsifying Toss the pasta vigorously with starchy water and oil over medium heat until the sauce turns glossy and clings. Add water gradually; too much makes it watery.
-
Turn off the heat, scatter the mozzarella over the pasta, and toss until it just starts to melt. Stir in the bazil, the remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and the black pepper.
~1 min
Residual heat melts the mozzarella gently; direct heat would make it rubbery and stringy instead of creamy.
Take the pan off the heat before adding the mozzarella: residual warmth melts it into strands instead of letting it turn rubbery.