Basil Spaghetti with Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes

For our 7^th annual Sisters Weekend, we purchased a Living Social Spa package deal.  Never having received a facial or a massage before, I was pretty pumped.  During our morning at the spa in between pampering, I was able to catch up on tons of fun, mindless magazine reading.  I read multiple tips on how to dress my best for Fall, learned a handful of home decorating tips, and fell in love with a few recipes.  I was reading Real Simple magazine, and I found a recipe for a pasta dish that I just had to make when I returned home to Richmond. 

The spa day was everything I thought it would be and more, and so was this recipe.  Here it is.

Basil Spaghetti with Cheesy Broiled Tomatoes

*Even the title makes me salivate.*

Source:  Real Simple Magazine, www.realsimple.com

Ingredients (2 hungry servings with a little extra to spare):

8 ounces spaghetti

2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into ¼” slices

1 small ball fresh mozzarella, cut into ¼” slices

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

Handful fresh basil, gently torn into pieces

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Extra virgin olive oil

S & P

The Process:

Turn your oven on to the Broil setting.  Cook the pasta according to package directions.  While it’s cooking away in the hot bath, arrange tomato slices on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray (or you can use olive oil).  Add a slice of fresh mozzarella to each slice of tomato.  You can definitely use shredded mozzarella, too.  I just like how the slices of fresh mozz fit perfectly together with the tomato, and it oooooozes just enough while cooking.  Sprinkle a little S & P on top of each tomato/mozz slice.  Broil for about 10 minutes until the tops are golden and bubbly (yum).  The recipe said it would be about 3-5 minutes under the broiler.  Mine took about 10-12 minutes for whatever reason. 

While the pasta and tomatoes are cooking away, warm about 2 tablespoons olive oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes.  The smell that starts to dance into your kitchen is probably one of the best smells in the entire world.  Garlic, olive oil, cheesy tomatoes.. heavens to Betsy! 

Add the handful of torn basil leaves to the garlic oil.  When the pasta has finished cooking, drain it, and dump it into the saucepan with the garlic-basil goodness.   Stir everything gently to incorporate the flavors, and turn off the stove top.   

Once your tomatoes are golden and bubbly, remove them from the oven.  Gently, place 2-3 tomatoes on top of each serving of pasta.  The Real Simple recipe calls for some shaved parmesan on top, which we didn't use because fresh mozzarella is expensive enough, right?!  Maybe the salty parm balances out the mellow mozzarella . . . Regardless, this dish is OUT OF THIS WORLD. 

The tomatoes are warm and full of flavor, the spaghetti noodles are dressed ever so delicately with basil, garlic, and olive oil, and the mozzarella just melts in your mouth with every bite.   

Hubby thought a little marinara mixed in with the pasta would just “top it all off”.  I, on the other hand, felt that the basil and garlic flavors really rocked out the show as a dynamic duo and may become overshadowed if marinara sauce took the stage.  This dish will be revisited in the future because it's so darn delicious, and I will experiment with a sauce, per hubby’s recommendation . . . just to see.J 

Pour that glass of Italian red wine . . .  and, Bon Appétit!