Before summer draws to a close I’m going to make this easy pasta recipe as much as possible. It’s my go-to during peak tomato season and takes no time to make which means more time for summertime festivities! It’s a great recipe for a crowd {just double or triple the recipe!} and can be made ahead, since it’s served cold or al dente.
LZ’s SIMPLE SUMMER PASTA
prep 10 minutes | cook 10 minutes | total 20 minutes
yield 4-6 servings
Ingredients
1 pint of grape or cherry tomatoes {any small, sweet tomato works!}
3 cloves of garlic {you can never have enough garlic in this sauce, but I recommend at least 3 cloves}
1/4 cup fresh basil finely chopped, plus more for serving
1 pound of linguine or spaghetti pasta
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cut into small cubes
2 cup of your favorite olive oil {I love this olive oil, or this which can be found at Whole Foods}
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. finely chop garlic and basil
2. cut tomatoes in half and sprinkle with a little salt
3. marinate garlic, basil and tomatoes in 2 cups olive oil
4. meanwhile cook pasta according to package {I always cook pasta at least 1 minute less than the recommended cook time so it’s al dente}
5. rinse pasta under cool water and let cool
6. pour olive oil, garlic, basil and tomato mixture into large serving bowl with pasta {this bowl is my favorite for serving this dish, or any large glass bowl works well too!}
7. chop mozzarella and stir into pasta {make sure pasta is cool when you stir in mozzarella}
8. garnish with fresh basil
This recipe can be made in advance the day of and stored in the refrigerator for serving later on.