Recipe

Caprese Pasta Salad

adapted from The New York Times 2007

Ingredients

5 large cloves of garlic, very finely chopped
½ c. good quality olive oil
10-12 fresh basil leaves
6 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 lb. fresh mozzarella, cubed
1 lb. rigatoni or penne

Instructions

1. Mix together the garlic, olive oil and basil leaves in a large bowl. Set aside and allow to marinate for up to several hours.
2. Two hours before serving stir the tomatoes into the marinade. Leave on the counter for later.
3. Right before serving, boil the rigatoni in salted water according to package directions. Drain the pasta and immediately add to the bowl with the tomato mixture. Scatter the mozzarella on top of the pasta and toss first so that the mozzarella melts a little and coats the pasta. Then, stir up the tomato and olive oil mixture from the bottom and toss well. Add a pinch or two of Kosher salt to taste. Serve.

Naptime Notes

Naptime Recipe Serving ideas

This salad tastes best when made with the freshest possible tomatoes you can find. If you want more spice and heat try adding a few cranks of cracked pepper to give it a boost.

Naptime Stopwatch

This salad takes approximately 20 minutes to make in total. This time is spread out over the course of an entire afternoon.

Naptime Reviews

This is a crowd pleaser and my daughter likes it, too. Always serve extra bread for sopping up the sauce.

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Printed from: https://thenaptimechef.com/2010/06/caprese-pasta-salad-when-its-too-hot-to/