If you love caprese salad but want a meal, this will make you very happy. The hot pasta melts the cheese slightly and makes the garlic and basil smell amazing. I can tell you that in my experience most kids love this.

　　

Ingredients

4 to 6 servings

　　1 pound fusilli pasta

　　3 tablespoons olive oil

　　2 garlic cloves, minced

　　3 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 pints)

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn

　　8 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced (about 1 1/4 cups)

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper. As the tomatoes cook and soften, smash them with a fork. Continue to cook until the tomatoes make a chunky sauce, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta and toss to combine. Stir in the basil leaves and mozzarella, then add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.