Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 large 8- to 10-inch long zucchini
- ¾ pound spaghetti about ¾ of a standard box
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella pearls
For the Cherry Tomato Sauce:
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 large cloves garlic peeled, smashed and roughly chopped
- 12 fresh basil leaves torn
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sugar optional
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
- Spiralize the zucchini using the blade on your spiralizer that makes spaghetti-like noodles. (If you don’t have a spiralizer, don’t panic. You can julienne your zucchini using a julienne peeler or your chef’s knife. The latter will take you a while, but it’s doable.) Pat the zucchini noodles dry with paper towels, and briefly set them aside.
- Next, whip up the tomato sauce. Add all the ingredients for the sauce to the bowl of a food processor (or blender). Pulse a few times until the ingredients are incorporated and you have a chunky, rustic sauce. (Don’t over-process, people, you want texture!) Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a large mixing bowl.
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the package directions. Drain.
- Immediately add the spaghetti to the bowl with the tomato sauce and toss to coat. Let the pasta rest for 2 minutes to absorb some of the sauce.
- During the last few minutes of the pasta’s cooking time, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Add the zucchini noodles. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes until just tender. (Be careful not to overcook them!!) Add the zucchini noodles to the bowl with the pasta and toss to combine. Add the mozzarella pearls and toss again. Serve immediately.