Good food must be shared. Again.

So next is a slightly altered version of something I saw on tv that's absolutely delicious and relatively healthy. It's vegetarian, but it would be totally fine to add lumps of chicken, sausage, shrimp.. anything you'd like!

It's a Pasta twist on the Basil, Mozzarella, & Tomato Salad:

INGREDIENTS:

A LOT of garlic (15+ cloves)
cherry or strawberry tomatoes (1 1/2 packages, each cut in half)
any spiral pasta (great for catching the juices that make up the sauce)
package of fresh mozzarella balls (drained)
bunch of fresh basil (chopped into thin slivers)
extra virgin oil
salt and pepper to taste
THAT'S IT!

DIRECTIONS:
The key to this recipe is timing. You want to have your pasta cooked and ready to be transferred right as the sauce is ready to go.

1. Chop up your garlic to the size you'd be willing to swallow because this and the tomatoes are all that makes up the sauce to this dish. Throw it into a large saucepan (you'll be throwing the pasta, tomatoes, everything in here) that has been generously coated with EVOO and that is on low to medium heat.

2. You don't want to burn the garlic, so just as it's starting to juice up, add all of your tomato halves. Let them become one with the oil by squishing them with the back of a fork or spatula. Be sure to add salt and pepper to the mix. Don't fret with the amounts--as long as you don't put too much, you can always adjust the taste levels!

3. At some point, add pasta to some boiling and salted water (I would start the boiling early because that's probably the thing you'll have to wait for). If your timing isn't perfect, you can always keep the garlic and tomatoes on heat, low enough to just keep them warm, or you can drain the pasta and stop the cooking process as you normally would if the sauce isn't ready.

4. Once the pasta is cooked to perfection, add to the now aromatic, delicious garlicky tomato mixture. The heat may be turned off.

5. Finally, add the mozzarella and basil. Serve immediately (or not.. it tastes delicious steaming hot or room temperature!).