Time for a new Recipe Swap! The theme for this month is BBQ/warm weather foods. I received Caprese Pasta Salad from Lishie. I was very excited about this salad because of how wonderfully simple it was, and how great that it did not have a mayo base (perfect for an outdoor bbq!) Lishie has great recipes on her blog (if you don't remember I had her blog for a swap before and made the delicious potatoes romanoff...drool). I brought this salad to may parents for Mother's Day to go along side our brats and steaks. It was perfect! The flavors are simple enough that it is a great side for any meal. The other reason I was excited about this recipe was because I had a very similar pasta dish on a very warm afternoon in Rome while vacationing with my family and friend Heather. I don't know why that meal stuck with me, but I remember it fondly, and this pasta brought back those flavor memories. Thank you for a great recipe Lishie!
Ingredients
1 lb shaped pasta of your choice (I used corkscrew), cooked and drained
1 pint grape tomatoes, washed and halved
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into small pieces
4 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
In a large bowl, add pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Gently stir to combine all ingredients. Toss with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Serve and room temperature or chilled.