Presto Pasta: Lighter Pasta Fresca

Posted on July 12, 2007

I am a Romano girl. Always have been, always will be. There is almost always a big chunk of Romano from Costco in my fridge, at the ready to be grated, sliced or chopped. Why do I love it? It’s like biting into certainty. That sharp, decisive taste adds dimension to many dishes in my kitchen. But lately, I have been craving something a little more subtle, a little lighter. Parmesan fits the bill in that respect. So, for a little while at least, my chunk of Romano will be substituted with a hunk of Parmesan. Hey, variety is good.

Last night it was just Will and I for dinner. I wanted to cook something and perhaps use the lone tomato I had laying about. But what to do with a perfectly ripened tomato?

I had to stop at the grocery store anyway for milk, so I picked up another lovely red tomato, a chunk of Parmesan, a ball of fresh mozzarella and some chicken prosciutto tortellini. Can you guess what I decided to make?

Pasta Fresca is a favorite of mine, and Will’s as well. We use basil straight from the garden. This is a lighter version than the one I have previously written about here . . . unless you use scrumptious tortellini like I did (more calories than a whole wheat or regular pasta).

Lighter Pasta Fresca
serves 2

1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes
8 leaves basil, chopped
salt
pepper
2 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed
2 servings pasta, cooking while sauce is cooking
2 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated

Heat olive oil in small frying pan over medium heat.

Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for one minute.

Stir in diced tomatoes and cover, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Stir in basil, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 4 minutes. Add mozzarella cubes and stir, quickly removing from heat and turning on to the pasta.

Mix pasta and sauce well. Plate it and garnish with Parmesan.
________________________
This post is for Presto Pasta Night, hosted by Ruth at Once Upon a Feast. It’s my first time participating in this fun weekly event.

Read the full post at Cucina Bella, a family cooking blog.

This feed contains copyrighted photos and text from Cucina Bella. If you are not reading this material in a feeds aggregator or by e-mail subscription, the site you are viewing may be guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact sarah.caron (at) gmail (dot) com.

  • Share/Bookmark

Comments

3 Responses to “Presto Pasta: Lighter Pasta Fresca”

  1. Ruth Daniels on July 13th, 2007 6:36 pm

    Gorgeous looking pasta, but not nearly as gorgeous as Will!!!

    Thanks so much for joining the Presto Pasta Night gang. I hope to see you often.

  2. Patti on July 13th, 2007 10:22 pm

    YUM – making me hungry!

    thanks for sharing another photo of the adorable Will

  3. Tonia on July 16th, 2007 10:21 pm

    Looks great Sarah. I don’t think we have that tortellini here. Is Presto Pasta Night every Wednesday?

Leave a Reply