Friday, June 20, 2014

A summertime quick & easy pasta

If you are in the need of a super quick dinner or a pasta salad for a picnic you have to try the pasta recipe I found!  I actually made this pasta more complicated than the recipe because I wanted to cook up the tomatoes for some additional flavor!  I found this recipe on Food & Wine Website.  Pasta with Tomatoes & Mozzarella

I followed the recipe pretty closely.  I adjusted the measurements to account for the fact I was not making 1lb of pasta.  This recipe is so flexible that you could make many variations to "spice" it up.  Food & Wine made suggestions for readers.  I could easily see you including chicken, sausage, or prosciutto to the pasta to up the protein content.

I was only able to get fresh cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market this week (personally I like better than vine ripened) so I went with those and cut in half.  I also decided to saute them in the garlic rather than mix in uncooked.  

I bought the container of mozzarella balls the size of a ping pong ball.  I cut those in half.  Lastly, I used my roasted garlic again :-).  The balsamic vinegar added such a nice sweetness and flavor to the pasta and if you love olives like me you will not be disappointed with this addition.  

This had to be the quickest pasta I have ever made and plan to keep in my back pocket when I need a really quick dinner. 


 Please give it a try! 

Recipe - Thank you Food & Wine!
  1. 1/2 cup halved and pitted black olives
  2. 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  3. 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  4. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
  5. 1 pound spaghetti
  6. 1/2 cup olive oil
  7. 3 cloves garlic, minced
  8. 2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes (about 6), chopped
  9. 3/4 pound salted fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, at room temperature
  10. 1 1/4 cups chopped fresh basil

  1. In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes with the mozzarella, basil, olives, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper.
  2. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the spaghetti until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain, add to the tomato mixture, and toss.
  3. Heat the oil in a small frying pan over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour the oil over the pasta and toss again.
NOTES Variations Add some drained capers, chopped red onion, or grated Parmesan to the pasta.  

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