Pasta Alla Checca

Easy pasta dish with fresh tomatoes.

2-4 servings
15 minutes
Ethan Chlebowski

Ingredients

Pasta noodles

  • Spaghetti
    227 g 1/2 lb
  • Water
  • Salt
    a sprinkle

The sauce

  • Tomatoes, assorted & ripe
    454 g1 lb
  • Fresh mozzarella
    113 g1/4 lb
  • Olive Oil
    45 g
  • Fresh basil, torn
    10 leaves
  • Fresh oregano, chopped
    a spoonful
  • Fresh thyme, chopped
    a spoonful
  • Salt
    to taste
  • Black Pepper
    a sprinkle

Method

Step 1: Boil the noodles

Set a pot of water to along with a generous sprinkle of salt. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, or 1 minute less than the package instructions recommend.

Step 2: Prepare the sauce

Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes into small pieces and add them to the bowl where you will be serving the pasta. Sprinkle some salt over the tomatoes, add the oregano and thyme, and mix everything together.

  • If you can't find a fresh version of these, dried works well here since they'll rehydrate in the sauce.

Add the olive oil to a small pan and set it over medium heat.

After a few minutes of salting time, pour off the excess liquid from the tomatoes. Add the torn basil leaves and a few sprinkles of black pepper.

Remove the oil from the heat as soon as it starts to smoke. Pour the hot olive oil over the ingredients to their flavors, then mix thoroughly.

Step 3: Toss the pasta & serve

Once the pasta is done, save a little bit of the pasta water before draining. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl of tomatoes. Toss until combined (add a little bit of the pasta water if needed). Taste and adjust with salt, if needed.

Lastly, toss in the mozzarella balls, cover the bowl for 1 minute (to allow them to melt a bit before serving), then serve immediately.

“This is one of our family favorite pasta recipes from Guiliano Hazan's The Classic Pasta Cookbook. It takes about 20 minutes since the sauce is uncooked except for blooming the tomatoes and herbs in hot olive oil. ”

Ethan Chlebowski
Creator

Watch & Cook

Nutritional Information

entire recipe
Calories1558
174g
71g
54g

Show macros split into…

--

Recommended: 3 servings

FAQ

Can I use a different shape of pasta?

You don’t have to use spaghetti noodles here but it is the more traditional shape to eat with pasta alla checca. A good substitute would be fettuccini or linguini.

What type of tomatoes should I use?

Any kind of really fresh tomatoes are great here - preferably some combination of heirloom, cherry, or Roma tomatoes. The key is using fresh and juicy tomatoes here. It's a great recipe to make during peak tomato season.