It takes a virtuous person to refuse hot sausage off the grill at a
Memorial Day BBQ. I am not a virtuous person, so Meatless Monday was
postponed to today.
After a glorious weekend of sun and fun, today is cold and rainy here in the Northeast. But since I simply cannot accept that it is the end of May and just 58 degrees outside, I am going to pretend it's warm and make my favorite summer pasta salad for dinner.
This is simply a take on the classic Caprese salad of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Here the ingredients are combined with pasta and dressed with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. I also like to add kalamata olives because, well, because I really like them. Feel free to throw in whatever else you have on hand that might fit--capers, artichokes, almost anything that's briny and tangy works.
I started making pasta salads a lot last year when I realized that my kids wanted to eat pasta every night for dinner. I reasoned that if they like hot pasta, they might like cold pasta, too. Like anything else, sometimes they like it, sometimes they don't. Here's hoping tonight they do.
Caprese Pasta Salad
Serve with a loaf of crusty sourdough bread.
Serves 4 to 6
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
4 cups cooked and chilled pasta, such as penne or rotini
3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
Combine basil, garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar in a
blender and mix until smooth.
Combine pasta, tomatoes, olives, and mozzarella in a large
bowl. Add dressing and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Related Posts:
