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A close-up of Tomato Mozzarella Pasta being lifted from a pan, with melted cheese, diced tomatoes, herbs, and sauce draped over tender fettuccine noodles. Steam rises from this hot, freshly prepared dish.
Melissa Jo

Tomato Mozzarella Pasta 🍅

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I dreamt of this pasta sauce the night before I made it! My best ideas always come in my sleep! This is quite possibly the best fettuccini dish I have made! Tomato Mozzarella pasta is made with fresh tomatoes, pancetta, marinated  bocconcini, some herbs and not much more! But trust me…this will be on the rotation in your household! It's unbelievably delicious and fairly inexpensive too!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 20 oz about 20 oz. of yellow and red grape or cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 4 oz. of diced uncured pancetta I used Boars Head
  • At least 2-3 tbsp. of good extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
  • 5-6 cloves of sliced garlic
  • 1 tsp of kosher salt add more or less to taste
  • 1 tsp of cracked black pepper
  • 1 lb. of fettuccini
  • about 3/4 cup of pasta water
  • about 10 oz. of marinated fresh mozzarella balls Bocconcini I used BelGioioso
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • about 2-3 oz. of fresh roughly chopped basil
  • Garnish: chopped fresh parsley basil, and more Pecorino Romano

Method
 

  1. Add the pancetta to a skillet with high sides at medium heat with a tbsp. of olive oil. Allow the pancetta to sauté until the fat renders and they are crisp, but not too crisp!
  2. Remove the pancetta from the skillet but keep the fats in the skillet.
  3. Start the water for the fettuccini and salt it heavily before adding the pasta to cook. Reserve about 3/4 cup or so of pasta water before draining the pasta. Boil the pasta 1 minute less then the directions on the back of the box for aldente pasta.
  4. Add the crushed red pepper to the skillet and then add all of the tomatoes. Sauté  the tomatoes at medium high heat and stir frequently. Season with a generous amount of cracked black pepper and kosher salt. Before you add any other ingredients the tomatoes should be blistered and start breaking apart. You can use the back of a wooden spoon to mash them a bit. But, the tomatoes shouldn't be fully mashed. Just blistered and a bit gushy.
  5. Then, add the sliced garlic to the pan and saute until the garlic is fragrant and slightly golden.
  6. Add 2 more tbsp of olive oil and stir.
  7. Add the pasta water to the skillet and bring to a low boil.
  8. Next, the pancetta goes back into the skillet along with any accumulated juices from the bowl.
  9. Using tongs add the fettuccini into the skillet and begin incorporating the sauce with the pasta by storing together.
  10. Add generous amount of fresh roughly chopped basil to the skillet. Stir.
  11. Add the marinated mozzarella balls (bocconcini) on top of the pasta dish. The heat should be at medium. Cover the skillet and allow the cheese to melt into the pasta dish.
  12. Uncover the skillet once the cheese is melty and incorporate the ingredients with a pair of tongs.
  13. Serve in a large family size bowl and garnish with fresh parsley, basil, and Pecorino Romano.

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