It's Recipe Week! Day 3: My Version of Caprese Pasta

A couple years ago, I shared this recipe for Giada's Caprese Pasta. Then last week, when I realized how many caprese bites I had leftover from our little dinner party (dinner party- now I sound like my mom), I decided I would make her recipe again. But either out of laziness or creativity (let's go with the latter), I didn't look at the recipe and ended up with something that I think tasted even better! So I quickly wrote down what I did (which means all of the measurements below are estimated) so I wouldn't forget how to do it! ...And so I could share it with you, of course!

Balsamic Caprese Pasta
Ingredients:
1T butter
3T EVOO
1lb. rigatoni
25 grape tomatoes, halved
ground salt
1/2 cup sherry
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 package mozzarella pearls
1/4 cup balsamic glaze
15 basil leaves, torn or cut chiffonade
3T brown sugar

Directions:
Marinate mozzarella in balsamic glaze overnight. Simmer tomatoes in EVOO, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, add sherry, and cover. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Smoosh (culinary term) tomatoes, add chicken stock to sauce, and simmer uncovered for 5-7 minutes, until sauce reduces. Add brown sugar. In a separate pot, boil water, add salt, and cook pasta to al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot with butter. Add sauce, basil, and mozzarella and serve.

*Only half of my mozzarella was marinated since I was using leftovers from the caprese bites as part of the dish, but I will definitely marinate all of them next time! The balsamic glaze is sweeter and more subtle than regular balsamic and gave a great flavor to the pasta!

For the other recipes from this week, click on the links below:

Monday- Pork Medallions in Mushroom Marsala Sauce

Tuesday- Four Cheese Stuffed Shells

Tomorrow, I'll be sharing a recipe I found on Pinterest two weeks ago and have made twice already. Here's a sneak peek:

Don't forget to enter the FREE BLOG DESIGN giveaway!