It's a Mozzarella Sunday (Tomato Basil Pasta with Mozzarella and Baked Mozzarella Chicken)

When it comes to preparing pasta dishes, I adore how Giada de Laurentiis of Food Network does this thing seamlessly. Most of her creations had me salivating to high heavens. As a result, I almost always wanted to carry her recipes into our own platter. Recently in one of her shows, she made her favourite pasta that reminds her of her childhood in Italy. When I saw her plated it scrumptiously and avidly dig into it, I just know that this is one dish I would like to try. From the way it looked through her mouth-watering chews, the dish seemed to be healthy and appetizing. True enough, when I prepared it at home, I was more than delighted with the taste. The dish is so simple to prepare and mildly flavoured. With the subtle blend of flavour notes of garlic, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, the overall taste is so natural to savour. Truly delicioso! Likewise, the pasta complements the whole dish. It does not overpower and the size perfectly suits my kids' little sensory orifice. What with the melted mozzarella cheese smothered onto the entire dish? A small serving is just not enough.

Tomato Basil Pasta with Mozzarella

What you need:
1 1/2 cup salad macaroni pasta, 4 medium sized tomatoes (cut in cubes), 1 large bulb of garlic (crushed and chopped), 3 tbsps chopped fresh basil leaves, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (cut in cubes), 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste

How to make:
Cook salad macaroni pasta in 4 cups of boiling water with salt and a little oil. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a pan. Sauté garlic and tomatoes for 2 - 3 minutes. Add pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well. Stir in mozzarella and basil leaves. Serve immediately.


Because there was still enough mozzarella left from the first dish, I might as well stretch this cheese indulgence to the fullest. Was there another dish made? You bet I did. So here’s my Baked Mozzarella Chicken that left us fully stuffed last weekend.

Baked Mozzarella Chicken

What you need:

1/2 kg chicken breast fillet, 275 ml tomato sauce, 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, olive oil for frying, 5 cloves garlic (minced), salt and pepper to taste, chopped coriander leaves as garnish

How to make:

Season chicken fillet with salt and pepper. Pan-fry in olive oil until lightly browned. Transfer into a baking dish. Pour over 1 tbsp of fried olive oil. Add tomato sauce, garlic and mozarella cheese. Bake at 350 F until the cheese melts. Serve on a platter and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.