Caprese Pasta

Ohhhh, Children.

This one is good.

I made this a few nights ago for Jay's mama and niece, and THERE WERE NO LEFTOVERS.

I should point out that I ate at least three servings, so mama and Jay weren't really the issue.

The three year old, though....she gave me a run for my money.

This is creamy.  This is fresh.  This has herbs and cheese and tomatoes and wine.

WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM ME?

For real. So delicious.

You're gonna need this:

• 6 servings spaghetti (for 4 people....let's be honest about pasta serving sizes here. we eat more than one.)
• 1 cup pasta water, reserved right before draining pasta
• 2-4 tomatoes (depending on size, go for 3 medium or equivalent)
• 4 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup torn fresh basil
• salt, pepper, crushed red pepper
• 1 cup white wine (or skip it, no worries)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup mozzarella pearls (or fresh mozz cut into small bits)
• parmesan cheese, to serve

ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE MY FAVORITE FLAVORS.

Seriously, this could not be easier. It's fast, too!

Start the pasta and heat a pan with the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter to medium heat.

While the pasta is cooking, whack the garlic with the back of your knife...

...and chop it up - you can leave the pieces big or small, it's up to you!

Chop the tomatoes, too.  Look how pretty mine are!

Add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan with a sprinkle of salt and crushed red pepper, if you'd like.  Stir them around for 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to dissolve - how far you cook them out is up to you!

When the tomatoes have started to soften, add the tomato paste and stir it around for 1 minute.

Then add the wine! And ½ cup of the pasta water.

Perfect. Now, let the sauce simmer for 2-5 minutes until the wine had reduced by half and you can't stand it anymore and you HAVE TO EAT RIGHT NOW.

Last, add the pasta, mozzarella, basil, and remaining butter to the pan.  Toss it around in the sauce for at least 90 seconds to let some of the mozz melt into the sauce and make it creamy and perfect and delightful.

Now, WHATEVER YOU DO - when you serve this, scrape the basil and cheese that have collected on the tongs or spoon.  That is the best part of the whole dish, and you'll want to be sure you get it on your plate before someone else does.

You're welcome for that tip. Seriously.  Taste the pasta, and add more salt if you'd like!

Serve this with the usual suspects: olive oil, salt, pepper, parm, crushed red, more herbs...you're the boss of the toppings!

Weekend, weeknight, lunch, brunch, snack....when could you NOT eat this?  Enjoy this one!