Pasta Fusili

Had this for dinner last night with a green salad and garlic bread with the addition of 1/2 cup red wine. VERY GOOD! This is a good pasta dish that you can reheat and eat on for several days. Light, yet filling!

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

* 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons coarse salt
* 1 pound good-quality Fusilli
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
* 3 cups quartered cherry tomatoes or 1 (1-pound, 12-ounce) can tomatoes
* 15 large fresh basil leaves, julienned
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 pound whole milk mozzarella, whole if possible, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
* Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

1. Fill a large pot with 5 quarts water; season with 2 tablespoons salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add fusilli to boiling water and cook according to package directions.
2. Add grape seed oil and garlic to a medium skillet and place over high heat. Cook until edges of garlic turn golden, about 1 minute. Using your hands, break up and squeeze tomatoes directly into skillet. Immediately add basil, remaining 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper. Bring sauce to a boil; immediately reduce heat to medium.
3. When pasta is cooked, remove sauce from heat. Stir mozzarella into sauce until well combined. Using a wire-mesh skimmer, transfer pasta to sauce. Fold fusilli into sauce until mozzarella has attached itself to the fusilli.
4. Serve immediately with Parmesan, if desired.