We’re back, and it’s another pasta recipe (surprise surprise). Can you tell pasta’s my favourite food? This one is a super tomatoey, garlicky and punchy dish. Think arich, garlic, chilli and tomato sauce over pappardelle with a super tasty and fresh seasoned mozzarella on top. This another quick one, perfect for a weekday dinner. The creamy mozzarella really balances out that rich tomato and mild heat from the chilli. If you can get it, I’d recommend going for a high quality buffalo mozzarella for this dish. The mozzarella is served raw so we’re really after high quality ingredients as there’s no hiding. I’m gonna give you fair warning, this is a very garlicky dish (cooked in the sauce and raw with the mozzarella) so I don’t recommend eating this right before a social gathering, unless you’re all eating it.
Garlic, Chilli Tomatoey Pappardelle With Dressed Mozzarella
Sevres 2 | 30-40 mins cook + Prep
Ingredients
1 ball good quality buffalo mozzarella
4 cloves garlic, 1 clove minced and the rest thinly sliced
2 red chillis, deseeded and thinly sliced
Large handful basil minced
Large handful parsley minced
1tsp red wine vinegar
A few good glugs of good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tin plum tomatoes
180g dried pappardelle
2-3tbsp grated parm + more to serve
Method
- Tear the mozzarella into bitesize chunks and place in a bowl. Add the minced garlic, 1/4 of the chilli, a small handful of parsley & basil, red wine vinegar and a good few glugs of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, stir, cover and chill in the fridge until ready to eat. This can be done a few hours ahead
- Heat 2-3 tbsp olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium/high heat. Add the sliced garlic and the rest of the chilli. Cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic just begins to turn golden and is fragrant (should take around 5 mins, depending on your hob).
- Add the tomatoes, and about 1/2 tin of water. Squish the tomatoes with a spoon. Bring this to a boil then lower the temperature and simmer for 20-30 mins until the sauce has thickened.
- Add in the rest of the parsley & basil, and the grated parm. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Cook the pappardelle in heavily salted pasta water until al dente. Reserve a mug of pasta water towards the end of the cooking time. Combine the pasta & sauce, and add some pasta water to reach your desired sauce consistency.
- Serve the pasta with the torn mozzarella on top & more parm if you like!
Bakes By Meg 