[SeattleUte]

Originally Posted by YOhio

This one is a family favorite. Fun, fast and pretty cheap.

Ingredients
1 Package of Ditalini Pasta
A cup or so of fresh mozzarella cut up into small cubes
Some basil (8-10 leaves, more if you'd like)
Some juliened sun-dried tomatoes
Garlic (a clove or two, depending on your preference)
A couple of real tomatoes, seeded and cut into smaller pieces.
Italian meats (salami, pepperoni, prosciutto or pancetta. You don't need a whole lot, but it flavors the dish very well)

Cook and drain the pasta
In a big skillet, heat up the italian meats (I usually use about 3-4 slices of salami and and 8-10 pepperoni slices because we'll have some in the freezer. The other meats are also good, but not as common to have in the house and a little more pricey.) As the meat is warming up and releasing the fat, start to cut it into smaller pieces with with your spatula. Add the sun-dried tomatoes (you can also add the normal tomatoes here if you'd like) and garlic. After a minute or so, dump the pasta in the skillet and toss it to get an even distribution of the meat and tomatoes. Add the normal tomatoes here if you haven't yet. After a few minutes, put it in a big serving bowl and toss in the basil and mozzarella and mix it well. Voila. You now have a very good pasta dish, fast and easy. You can top it with fresh parmesan and olive oil if you'd like or just dig in. It's usually sufficiently greasy from the meat fat, so the OO may be too much. A nice crusty bread is good on the side.

My three year old loves this dish because the ditalini pasta is so easy to eat. It absorbs the flavors very well, but it isn't too strong. The fresh mozzarella doesn't melt throughout the dish, but clumps up and adds a great texture.

Try it with Jimmy Dean's. Don't try to drain the grease because it doesn't make that much. You don't need a whole lot of that either.