
~ Positano Harbor ~
Simplicity. It’s perhaps THE hallmark of Italian cooking and something I have preached numerous times. The kicker, so to speak, is that when things are simple, your ingredients must be perfect. Otherwise, you’ll set yourself up for failure. The recipe below relies on only 3 ingredients, yet when executed correctly, yields stunning results.
As the name suggests, this dish originates from the Campanian town of Sorrento along the southern coast of Italy. Besides its simplicity, it can be made from start to finish in less than 30 minutes.
Pasta alla Sorrentina
1 pound Rigatoni or Paccheri Pasta
20 ounces fresh tomatoes
8 ounces smoked Scamorza, cubed
4 cloves of fresh garlic, diced
Large handful of Basil, torn
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
It’s imperative to use the best, ripest tomatoes you can find. For this dish, they came from my garden. As a substitute for the Scamorza, you could use smoked or fresh mozzarella.

~ This is Part 1 of the mis en place. Chopped tomatoes and diced garlic ~
Dice the tomatoes and garlic. In a pan large enough to hold the cooked pasta, saute the garlic in a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1-2 minutes. Take care not to let the garlic brown. Add the tomatoes, lower the flame and simmer for about 15 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down. While the tomatoes are cooking, dice the Scamorza.

~ Remove the Scamorza from its netting and dice approximately 8 ounces ~
Here is a shot of the cubed Scamorza. You will have extra cheese remaining but if you use a smoked variant it will keep close to a month in the refrigerator.

~ By the time you are finished cubing the Scamorza, the tomatoes will likely be finished cooking ~
Once the tomatoes are softened, remove the pan from the heat and add the basil. Allow to sit on the back of the cooktop until the pasta is almost completely cooked.

~ This was taken once the tomatoes were softened. They will break apart further once you add the Rigatoni ~
When the pasta is almost al dente, return the tomatoes to a low flame and add the cubed Scamorza. Gently toss through. After about 3-4 minutes the cheese will begin to soften and melt. Eventually, the magic of “Al Telefono” will begin to take hold.

~ The cubed Scamorza has been added to the sauce. Stir through over low heat and allow the cheese to soften ~
At this point, you’re almost finished. Once the pasta is al dente, drain to the sauce pan and gently fold the pasta into the sauce. I use the term gently because the more aggressively you stir, the tendency that the cheese will form clumps increases. Don’t over fold it.

~ This is the completed dish just before plating ~
Finalmente, Rigatoni alla Sorrentina !

~ The plated dish. What’s interesting here is all the juice. That is nothing but the olive oil we started with and what’s let out by the fresh tomatoes. Incredible flavor! ~
Check out my Recipes page for more excellent ideas and enjoy!
Have a question or comment? Leave it in the comment field of the post and get the discussion going.
Salute!
a good pasta dish without a good wine red or white wine, is not complete, what do you recommend?
Svante – I could not agree more. I didn’t include any wine notes with this article because I was saving them for future pieces. However, this dish is flexible because of its freshness. We tried two wines and both were equally enjoyable. The first was the Litorale 2020 Vermentino from Val delle Rose in Maremma. The second was the 2015 Contucci Vino Nobile which was also very nice. Both played against different aspects of the dish. The white against the brightness of the tomato and the red against the richness of the Scamorza. Enjoy!
John,
This was a fabulous recipe to do for the family on a Sunday night. I did make a couple of minor additions but all was really good and I put it with a 2017 Contucci Vino de Nobile. Outstanding. I do love your tastes 🙂
Thanks Dick! Nice to hear when a recipe is appreciated. You know me, wine is food and they go together. I don’t think I ever have wine without food. Salute!