Pasta Caprese

Tonight Brian made us a version of pasta caprese a la Giada de Laurentiis. It doesn't look that great in this photo, but believe me. It is going to be a repeater on our dinner rotation. Y'all.
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, 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)
• 1 pound pasta

These are directions from the foodnetwork's website. We did not save any water like it says you should in the recipe. The pasta and tomato mixture has always been wet enough that we didn't need it. We also didn't have enough fresh tomatoes (I only bought 4 romas), so Brian added a can of diced tomatoes (he drained a little bit of the juice first). It worked out great.

Directions:

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, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta into a large bowl and reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

In a medium skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute 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 style sauce, about 4 minutes. Transfer the tomato sauce to the bowl with the pasta. Toss to combine. Add the basil leaves and mozzarella. Stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until the pasta is moist. Serve.