Angel Hair Nests with Fresh Mozzarella

Swirls of seasoned angel hair pasta, shaped into nests and filled with homemade marinara sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese. As you cut into the nests, the sauce coats every noodle and the cheese pulls like it does on TV food porn. It rarely gets better than this (at least at dinnertime).

I am loving the way this dish looks - and it's such a simple way to turn a regular pasta dish into a show-stopper. All you need is a fork! 

A few highlights from flavortown: As you may know (if you follow my blog), I never put plain noodles in my pasta dishes. I always season the freshly cooked, warm noodles as soon as they come out of the colander. It's a great way to start layering flavors, starting with the noodles. In this case, I tossed the angel hair with olive oil, oregano, basil, parmesan, salt, and pepper. Next, I added a little of the homemade marinara sauce, to give the pasta another layer of flavor and some color. It seems so simple, but trust me, it totally transforms the dish.

Now for the sauce: I took a regular can of tomato sauce and transformed it into a fabulous marinara by adding oregano, basil (the same herbs I used with the pasta), onion, and garlic. If you want a spicy sauce, add crushed red pepper flakes too.

A word about the mozzarella: We adore fresh mozzarella in my house. I often buy the big balls of it and slice it up as needed. In this case, I bought the smaller balls, also called bocconcini. You can use either variety in this recipe; the smaller balls just allow you to skip a step (no cutting up a bigger piece of cheese). What I love about fresh mozzarella is how creamy, milky and smooth it is. It's the perfect balance for the herby noodles and zesty sauce.

Angel Hair Nests with Fresh Mozzarella 

Cooking spray
1 pound angel hair pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil, divided
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced white onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
15-ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
8 small fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini), or fresh mozzarella cut into 8 (2-inch) chunks
Fresh basil leaves for serving, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a shallow baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook the angel hair according to the package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Toss the hot pasta with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/2 teaspoon of the oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of the basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the parmesan cheese and toss to coat.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, until soft. Add the tomato sauce, reserved pasta cooking water, remaining oregano, and remaining basil and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add about 1/2 cup of the sauce to the pasta and toss to coat.
Using tongs, make 8 equal mounds of the pasta in the prepared baking dish. Use a fork to twirl the pasta mounds into 8 little nests. Make a small indent in the center of each nest and spoon the remaining sauce into each nest. Place a cheese ball in the center of each nest. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese melts slightly.

Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese over top. Garnish with fresh basil leaves if desired.

Serves 4