A Kind Of Pasta Margherita

Pasta

Oct 15

A simple pasta with few quality ingredients which makes you think of pizza Margherita from the first bite. Tomato sauce with a touch of garlic, fresh basil, mozzarella, Parmesan and of course olive oil. It’s the crust that makes the difference.

Behind the Bite

Cooking the tomato slowly with olive oil actually helps your body absorb more lycopene than eating tomatoes raw — the fat makes it easier to take up. Mozzarella and Parmesan bring a genuine calcium and protein boost, while the fresh basil adds a little vitamin K on top of all that flavor.

The recipe

Preheat the oven to 215C with ventilation.

Prepare the tomato sauce

Peel and finely chop the garlic.

Add the garlic and 10 ml of olive oil to a thick-bottomed casserole and let it infuse for about 10 minutes without heat. Add 50 ml of water and a pinch of salt, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes. Add the tomato juice and the basil leaves and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half. Set aside and keep warm. (You can also prepare the tomato sauce in advance and keep it in the refrigerator.)

Cook the pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions and reduce the boiling time by about 2 minutes.

Pasta will continue to cook in the oven and will absorb tomato juice.

Assemble and bake

Pour the tomato juice into a heavy oven-safe skillet. A cast iron skillet works perfectly. Add the boiled pasta and mix gently until the pasta is completely coated with tomato sauce. Slice the mozzarella into half-centimeter-thick rounds and arrange them over the pasta. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, until you like the crust. (A pizza stone placed in the oven, under the skillet, provides even heat distribution and contributes to the crispy crust.)

A word on technique

Finishing the pasta in a hot oven, in the same skillet, is what gives it that pizza-like crust at the edges — a stovetop sauce alone can't replicate that. The pasta also keeps soaking up the tomato sauce as it bakes, instead of just sitting coated on top.

INGREDIENTS

For two servings

ORGANIC OR “BEST YOU CAN GET”