Tossed with olive oil, garlic and seasonings, cherry or grape tomatoes blister and soften in minutes under the intense heat of the broiler. We deglaze their caramelized juices with a little starchy pasta cooking water to create a simple, flavorful, no-simmer sauce for orecchiette. Chopped basil, grated Parmesan and fresh mozzarella are stirred in near the end to create this summery insalata caprese–inspired pasta dish. A final few minutes in the pot lets everything mix, and allows the mozzarella to warm to just the right degree of meltiness. If you’re able to find mozzarella pearls, or perlini, use those. They’re so small they only need to be drained before use; no need to cut them into ¼-inch chunks.
Ingredients
- 1 pound orecchiette
- kosher salt
- ground black pepper
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes - or grape tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil - plus more to serve
- 2 medium cloves garlic - minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil - chopped
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese - mozzarella pearls, or perlini preferred; or cut into ¼-inch chunks
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese - finely grated (1 cup), plus more to serve
Instructions
- Heat the broiler with a rack positioned about 6 inches from the element.
Cook the pasta:
- In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil.
- Stir in the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt, then cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
- Reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
Broil the tomatoes:
- While the pasta cooks, on a broiler-safe rimmed baking sheet, toss together the tomatoes, oil, garlic, pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Broil, stirring 2 or 3 times, until the tomatoes are charred and blistered, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Carefully pour ¼ cup of the pasta water onto the baking sheet.
- Scrape up the browned bits, then scrape the tomato mixture into the pasta.
Finish and serve:
- Set the pot over medium and stir, then add the basil and both cheeses.
- Cook, stirring and adding more reserved pasta water as needed if the mixture is dry, until the mozzarella begins to soften, about 2 minutes.
- Off heat, taste and season with salt and black pepper.
- Serve sprinkled with additional Parmesan and drizzled with additional oil.