Easy Sun-Dried Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta
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Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • 5 slices bacon
  • 1 (28 oz.) can san marzano tomatoes
  • 8 oz. sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil and drained
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp. salt, divided
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1 Tlbs. balsamic vinegar
  • 17.5 oz. rotini pasta
  • 16 oz. fresh mozzarella
  • ½ cup parmesan cheese for garnish.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season liberally with salt. It should taste as salty as the sea.
  3. In a large dutch oven, render all of the fat out of the bacon over a medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. While the bacon cooks, add whole tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes to a blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside. Remove bacon from grease, and drain all but 2 Tlbs. bacon grease.
  4. Add onion, garlic, and ¼ tsp. salt to the pan. Sauté until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
  5. Add red wine, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer until reduced by half. Add pureed tomatoes, remaining salt, sugar and balsamic vinegar to the onions and garlic. Cover and simmer while you cook the pasta.
  6. Add pasta to boiling water. Cook until just UNDER aldente. (The noodles will finish cooking in the sauce)
  7. Once the pasta is just under aldente, Use a slotted spoon or sieve to transfer the pasta to the tomato sauce, and reduce the heat to low. Be sure to save the starchy cooking liquid. Add about ½ cup of cooking liquid to the pasta and the reserved bacon.
  8. Stir gently until sauce has coated pasta. If needed (and you probably will) add another ½ cup of starchy cooking liquid to loosen the sauce up. Repeat process until desired consistency is reached.
  9. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  10. Add ¾ of the mozzarella to the pasta and stir until cheese begins to melt. Dot the top with remaining mozzarella, cover and pop in the oven for 5-6 minutes to melt the cheese.
  11. Garnish with parmesan cheese.
Recipe by Cooking for Keeps at https://www.cookingforkeeps.com/easy-sun-dried-tomato-mozzarella-pasta/