Pasta Salad with Fresh Mozzarella, Basil and Tomatoes

Fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, fresh cherry tomatoes... starting to get the theme here... FRESH. It is still summer and we can all use another great side dish and this will be a hit with the whole family.


There are several versions out there but I think the one from The Today Program is the closest and I will call it the inspiration piece. Modifications were two. First one pound of pasta would be WAY to much. Second, they suggested using the garlic to marinade the tomatoes then remove it. If I actually removed garlic for a dish in this house, I would be a one handed pediatrician real fast. Instead I cut the garlic back a little, crushed and left it in.

Rating

A nice solid 4.

Notes: Don't be afraid to vary this a little. A few more tomatoes, or less, or use fresh diced tomatoes. More garlic, less garlic. Other fresh veggies would be good, some fresh chopped asparagus would be great. We added some shredded chicken along with some Italian dressing to the leftovers and had several more complete meals.
Lastly this makes a LOT of salad. I'm glad we loved it. We both had 2-3 servings the first round and did the chicken thing for the left overs and had several more meals.

Looks good... I have a new camera lens. LOVE IT!

Start by cutting about 1 pound of cherry tomatoes in half.

In a large bowl, add tomatoes along with 2-3 cloves crushed garlic, 1/4 cup good olive oil, 1 t course salt, a pinch of red pepper (about 1/8 t or less) and pepper to taste (about 1/4 t to start) mix well and set aside.

Cook 8 oz of pasta according to package instructions. We used mini penne. Allow to cool.

Chop 8 oz of fresh mozzarella into bite size pieces.

Chop 10 leaves of fresh basil.

When the pasta is cool, add the pasta, the mozzarella and the basil to the tomatoes and mix well.

Pasta Salad with Fresh Mozzarella, Basil and Tomatoes

by Dan Mikesell August-10-2013

Fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, fresh cherry tomatoes... starting to get the theme here... FRESH. It is still summer and we can all use another great side dish and this will be a hit with the whole family.

Ingredients

• 1 pound cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 pound pasta like mini penne
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella
• 2-3 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 t course salt
• 10 fresh basil leaves
• a good pinch (about 1/8 t) crushed red pepper
• pepper to taste (start at 1/4 t)

Instructions

1) Start by cutting about 1 pound of cherry tomatoes in half.2) In a large bowl, add tomatoes along with 2-3 cloves crushed garlic, 1/4 cup good olive oil, 1 t course salt, a pinch of red pepper (about 1/8 t or less) and pepper to taste (about 1/4 t to start) mix well and set aside.3) Cook 8 oz of pasta according to package instructions. We used mini penne. Allow to cool.4) Chop 8 oz of fresh mozzarella into bite size pieces.5) Chop 10 leaves of fresh basil.When the pasta is cool, add the pasta, the mozzarella and the basil to the tomatoes and mix well.6) Test for taste and serve.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 12 serving

Updated

August 10 2013

Dan Mikesell