Tomato and mozzarella pennette
I like creamy tasting pasta, but without the heaviness of cream so I quite like this recipe which marries the tartness of the tomatoes with the creaminess of the mozzarella (and these days it is quite easy to find low-fat versions).
Bring a pot of water to the boil. In the meantime, heat 1 tbs olive oil in a largish pan (large enough to hold the pasta) with 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped. Add 400g of either fresh or canned tomatoes (if using fresh peel and de-seed them first*) and a small handful of basil leaves. Cook until the tomatoes thicken into a sauce. If using fresh tomatoes you can stir in 1 tbs tomato concentrate at this point. While the sauce is cooking cook 250g pennette (or penne) pasta in the boiling water till al dente.
Just before the pasta has finished cooking, finish up with the sauce by seasoning with some salt and pepper and adding 60g chopped fresh mozzarella, stirring till it melts into the sauce. Turn off the heat.
Drain the pasta and transfer to the sauce pan. Toss over low heat till well combined. Sprinkle with some freshly grated Parmesan. Add some more basil leaves and serve immediately.
Serves 2.
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*These days it is quite easy to find peelers which make easy work of soft fruit and vegetables such as this one from Lakeland or this one made especially for tomatoes by Zyliss.
