Get that comforting hit on #meatfreemonday with this delicious and super simple dish of baked mozzarella with tomatoes and garlic (seriously every word in that title gets better and better; heaven!). It’s perfect for a cold, autumnal Monday evening.

This dish is so easy to prepare and cook, but the taste is all in the quality of the ingredients – trust me, get the best for this dish!

This would make a great starter for a dinner party (easy as!) or for a fuss-free supper, all snuggled on the sofa with your loved ones.

Recipe (serves 2)

2 tbsp olive oil

500g jarred tomatoes – get some good ones, it makes this dish!

1 tsp sugar

2 juicy fat cloves of garlic

small bunch of basil

2 balls of buffalo mozzerella

Good quality sourdough bread 

salt and pepper

Heat your oven to 160c.

In a saucepan, gently heat the olive oil. Bash the garlic slightly, so crushed and bruised, then add into the gently heating olive oil. You do NOT want to burn the garlic – the idea is to infuse the oil. Pour in the tomatoes, the sugar, the ripped basil leaves and some salt and pepper. On a low heat, gently simmer the tomatoes for 10-15 minutes to slightly reduce.

Next pour the tomatoes into an oven proof baking dish and then nestle the little mozzarella balls into the tomatoes. Season with some black pepper.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the mozzarella still holds its shape, but is gooey and stretchy in the middle.

Serve with big chunks of delicious sourdough bread, so you can dip the bread into the sauce and the melty cheese. Enjoy cuddled up on the sofa!