Caprese Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Basil

Caprese Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce—the Italian way! Fresh tomatoes, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and extra-virgin olive oil make this dish both delicious and nutritious. Fast, easy and perfect for a hot day.

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Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce: Ingredients

Which Tomatoes to Choose?

Ideally, choose fresh tomatoes that are advertised for salads and sandwiches rather than sauces. In Italy, Optima tomatoes are a good choice. Elsewhere, Beefsteak tomatoes would work. We are looking for a…

• medium to large tomatoes
• very pulpy
• with few seeds and water inside

What if it’s not the season for fresh tomatoes? This recipe will still be tasty if you use canned crushed tomatoes. Be sure to reach for canned tomatoes that say they are made with San Marzano tomatoes. These tomatoes are world-renowned for their sweetness and flavor.

To maximize the flavor of canned tomatoes, strain any water from the tomatoes. The watery part tends to add bitterness. We’ve found that whole canned tomatoes (water removed) and then blended into a pulp tend to be sweeter than canned crushed tomatoes—even among quality tomato brands.

Nothing can compare to enjoying this dish made with fresh ripe tomatoes, however the canned tomatoes options will still deliver a quick and tasty meal.

Fresh Mozzarella

Italians in Italy use fresh, water-packed mozzarella for almost everything besides (maybe) pizza.  In Italy, the Fior di Latte (a fresh cow’s milk mozzarella) is the type of mozzarella we usually select for this Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce recipe.

Rigatoni or Penne

You can use any pasta you like for this recipe, however we prefer rigatoni or penne. Learn more about the best pasta brand in Italy with the PIATTO™ guide!

Parmigiano Reggiano—not ‘Parmesan’

Always use Parmigiano Reggiano (not ‘Parmesan’), preferably freshly grated!

Olive Oil, Garlic, Basil, Salt

And to round out our list of fresh Mediterranean ingredients, you’ll need a few leaves of fresh basil, fresh garlic, fine salt and extra virgin olive oil! In fact, this Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce is a great way to maximize the healthy benefits of extra virgin olive oil as you will be adding it uncooked.

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How to Make Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella and Basil: Tips

Adding extra-virgin olive oil uncooked is the best way to maximize its health benefits—a staple in the Mediterranean diet and particularly in Italy. In this recipe, we do just that!

This recipe is the quintessential quick, fresh summer dish—the kind enjoyed by Italians on a daily basis. It features ripe fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil and pasta! We recommend using penne or rigatoni pasta, however other pastas are tasty as well.

Prepare the Cheeses

Slice the mozzarella. Pat dry any excess water with a paper towel, then dice the cheese into bite-size pieces.

Now’s also the time to fresh grate the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese if you haven’t purchased it already grated.

Prepare the Tomatoes

Remove Tomato Skins

To make the fresh tomato sauce, we need to peel the fresh tomatoes. The easiest way to do this is to score the tomato skins, then boil the tomatoes for about a minute.

After the brief boil, the skins will come right off!

Discard White, Stems, Tomato Seeds and Water

The seeds and watery parts of tomato tend to be a bit acidic and bitter. We use a finger or a tiny spoon to remove and discard these parts of the tomatoes.

We are left with a pile of deliciously sweet tomato pulp:

Crush the Tomato Pulp

Lightly salt the tomato pulp and let let them rest for 5 minutes. The salt will extract more (likely bitter) water and you can discard that as well.

Crush the tomatoes until they are a pulpy consistency. You can make it more or less pulpy, depending on your taste. Use an immersion blender, a fork, a ricer—whatever you like to crush the tomatoes. We usually use an immersion blender.

Season the Fresh Tomato Sauce

Add halves of fresh garlic (smashed with your palm or the back of a knife), a few leaves of fresh basil and some olive oil to the fresh tomato sauce. Let the mixture rest for at least 15 minutes so that the fresh flavors can infuse the sauce.

Remove and discard the large pieces of garlic before adding the sauce to the pasta. Add the grated Parmigiano cheese to the sauce as well.

Cook the Pasta

Cook the pasta of your choice according to package directions for al dente pasta. Salt the pasta water with a few handfuls of coarse salt.

Finish the Pasta!

Combine the cooked (drained) pasta with the fresh tomato sauce…

Then, add the diced mozzarella cheese…

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