Pasta with mascarpone and cherry tomatoes

I can provide you with a simple and tasty recipe to prepare pasta with mascarpone and cherry tomatoes. This dish combines the creaminess of mascarpone with the freshness of cherry tomatoes, creating a delightful balance of flavors.

Ingredients

• 320 g of pasta (penne, fusilli, or spaghetti are all fine)
• 250 g of mascarpone
• 300 g of cherry tomatoes
• 1 clove of garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil (as needed)
• Salt (as needed)
• Freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
• Fresh basil (a handful)
• Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation

1. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half or into four parts depending on their size.
2. In a large frying pan, heat up the extra virgin olive oil and lightly sauté the whole garlic clove without burning it.
3. Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan, season with salt and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until they start to fall apart.
4. In the meantime, boil salted water in a large pot and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
5. Once the cherry tomatoes are cooked, remove the garlic clove and add the mascarpone, stirring gently until you get a smooth cream.
6. Drain the pasta al dente, reserving some of the cooking water, and add it to the pan with the mascarpone and cherry tomatoes. Stir well to blend everything together, adding a little cooking water if the sauce is too thick.
7. Dust with freshly ground black pepper and add the hand-torn fresh basil to avoid losing its essential oils.
8. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Curiosity

This recipe is a great demonstration of how Italian cuisine manages to create extraordinary flavored dishes using a few quality ingredients. Mascarpone, typically used in desserts like tiramisu, finds an alternative use here as a creamy base for a simple but flavor-rich dressing.