Giada's Fusilli with Fresh Pomodoro

My friend Carol gave me some lovely homegrown tomatoes from her garden and I knew I wanted to make something special with them. At first I was tempted to make my very favorite tomato sauce on the planet, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Roasted Tomato Sauce, but I'm all about trying new things lately and Giada's Fusilli with Fresh Pomodoro really caught my eye.

I loved the idea of grating tomatoes to make a fresh sauce and let's face it, the sauce has two cheeses (fresh ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano) so, I was pretty much sold. Plus, can we talk about these long twirly fusilli noodles? They are so fun!

This is the perfect summer recipe for those ripe juicy summer tomatoes that are everywhere right now. It's one of those dishes that strikes just the right balance, satisfying and creamy from the cheeses, yet light and fresh from the tomatoes. Plus, the fusilli pasta is light and bouncy and just plain fun to eat. My daughter raved about it and I even caught her hiding the leftovers!

Fusilli with Fresh Pomodoro
Adapted from Giada In Italy

by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 6

salt

1 pound fusilli

1-1/2 pounds beefsteak tomatoes (about 4 large tomatoes)

1/4 cup oliveoil

2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

3 fresh basil sprigs

1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta, plus more for serving

1-1/4 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook 2 minutes less than the package directions, about 8 minutes (mine cooked about 13 and was still very al dente). Drain well, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Using the large holes on a box grater, grate the flesh of the tomatoes until you are left with just the skin. Heat a large straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the grated tomatoes, the whole basil sprigs, and about a teaspoon of salt to the hot oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic and basil sprigs, and stir in the ricotta. Add the pasta, followed by the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir to combine and coat everything in the sauce.

Cook for another 2 minutes to finish cooking the pasta and thicken the sauce slightly, adding some of the reserved pasta water if it looks dry. Stir in the chopped basil and serve topped with additional ricotta and Parmigiano-Reggiano, if desired.