Tomato and mozzarella pasta is the perfect balance of fresh, vibrant flavors and richness. Making it one of my favorite comfort foods to cook.
Sweet cherry tomatoes burst into a buttery garlic sauce, coating every strand of pasta. Just before serving, hand-torn pieces of fresh mozzarella melt slightly, adding creaminess without overpowering the bright, juicy tomatoes.
It’s a simple, satisfying pasta dish that works any time of the year. It's quick and easy to make and the perfect on-pan pasta dish any night of the week to impress friends and family for dinner or simply as a comfy home-cooked meal.
Ingredients
- Tomatoes - Use ripe cherry tomatoes. Plum-shaped cherry tomatoes are often the best. If you can, taste them if you get them from a farmer's market or green grocer. If you can only find the generic types sold in supermarkets, and can't taste them, we'll easily fix this by cheating a bit and adding a tiny bit of sugar later.
- Mozzarella - Always use fresh mozzarella that comes in a ball, stored in water or brine. Both buffalo mozzarella and cow's milk mozzarella work beautifully. Avoid using firm, rubbery pizza mozzarella.
- Pasta - For authentic Italian pasta, make this easy 2-ingredient fresh pasta. If you make a big batch you can dry or freeze it for ease of use whenever you fancy some fresh homemade pasta. If you're short on time, get some from the store. Flat-shaped pasta like Tagliatelle, Fettuccine and Pappardelle work best.
- Herbs (optional) - I like using fresh flat-leaf parsley, but you can also use basil or fresh oregano. Avoid using dried herbs. Their vibrance is gone, and you need the brightness of fresh herbs for the best flavor.
Instructions
- Prep & Cook Tomatoes: - Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add halved and whole cherry tomatoes, chopped garlic, and salt. Cook gently until the tomatoes burst and the garlic becomes soft and fragrant. This takes bout 8–10 minutes on a gentle simmer.
- Season the sauce: Once the cherry tomatoes have burst and cooked out, you end up with something looking like a rustic sauce. Season with sugar to rebalance, because tomatoes lose their sweetness when cooked.
- Boil and add pasta: If using fresh pasta, boil for 2 to 3 minutes in salted water, if using store-bought, then boil according to the package instructions or until al dente with a slight bite. Drain and reserve some pasta water. Add the pasta to the cherry tomato sauce as well as a bit of cooking water to make sure it's not dry and follow up with optional, yet recommended chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve: Give the pasta a good toss to coat in the sauce. Place into a pasta bowl and break the fresh mozzarella into bite-size chunks, adding it to the top of the pasta randomly. Finish with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.
Tips for success
- Tomatoes lose their sweetness and their sharpness increases as they cook. Adjust this by adding sugar once cooked.
- Tear the mozzarella into bite-sized pieces instead of cutting. It looks more natural, the texture is more pleasing and the cheese melts better.
- Save enough pasta cooking water in case you need to thin out the sauce slightly.
- Heat your plates before serving.
FAQ
For best results, consume straight away. If you have some left, keep it sealed airtight in the fridge and gently heat it on the stove by adding water and closing the pan with a lid. Or, microwave covered, on medium-high until just warm.
Cooked pasta freezes surprisingly well if you're not too snobbish about it. Thaw in the fridge and reheat gently.
If you can't find any fresh tomatoes, or they are not good, then it's better to use good quality tinned tomatoes.
Yes. Aged Parmesan in combination with the mozzarella is delicious and pairs well with the rich tomatoes.
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Recipe
Cherry Tomato And Fresh Mozzarella Pasta
Ingredients
- 250 g (2 cups) cherry tomatoes - note 1
- 50 g (¼ cups) butter
- 50 g (¼ cups) olive oil - extra virgin
- 10 g (¾ tablespoon) garlic - chopped or minced
- 4 g (1 teaspoon) salt
- 4 g (1 teaspoon) sugar - note 2
- 100 g (3 ½ oz) pasta - dried or 200g fresh pasta (note 3)
- 125 g (4 ½ oz) mozzarella - soft in brine or water (note 4)
- 6 g (1 tablespoon) parsley - flat-leaf roughly chopped (note 5)
Instructions
- Prep & Cook Tomatoes: - Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add halved and whole cherry tomatoes, chopped garlic, and salt. Cook gently until the tomatoes burst and the garlic becomes soft and fragrant. This takes bout 8–10 minutes on a gentle simmer.
- Season the sauce: Once the cherry tomatoes have burst and cooked out, you end up with something looking like a rustic sauce. Season with a touch of sugar to rebalance, because tomatoes lose their sweetness when cooked.
- Boil and add pasta: If using fresh pasta, boil for 2 to 3 minutes in salted water, if using store-bought, then boil according to the package instructions or until al dente with a slight bite. Drain and reserve some pasta water. Add the pasta to the cherry tomato sauce as well as a touch of cooking water to make sure it's not dry and follow up with optional, yet recommended, chopped fresh parsley.
- Serve: Give the pasta a good toss to coat in the sauce. Place into a pasta bowl and break the fresh mozzarella into bite-size chunks, adding it to the top of the pasta randomly. Finish with a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
- If you can get sweet organic cherry tomatoes from the greengrocer or farmer's market, they work best. Otherwise, choose a bright red firm plum cherry tomato from the supermarket. If you can't find good cherry tomatoes, grate fresh larger tomatoes to make the sauce.
- When tomatoes cook, they lose their natural sweetness and become more sour. It's important to rebalance with sugar.
- Flat pasta shapes work best. You can use homemade pasta or get fettuccine, pappardelle or tagliatelle ready-made.
- Use fresh cow's milk or buffalo mozzarella sold in ball shapes in brine or water. The rubbery pizza-style mozzarella will not work.
- Parsley is optional but highly recommended. Alternatively, use fresh basil or oregano.
Brooke Ramsey says
Hey! This recipe seems to be adjusted since I last made it. Could I get the old version?
Charlé Visser says
I refreshed the wording and information, but recipe is the same. Too good to change). If there's something specific you feel is different, let me know and w'll look at it.