Pasta Caprese

My mom loves tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil.  During the summer, there are many times were she makes a caprese salad with all those ingredients plus a splash of balsamic and olive oil.  So when I was flipping through the pages of the American Test Kitchen 10th Anniversary Best Recipe magazine and saw this pasta dish, I knew this would be the perfect for her visit this past week.  My mom made a special visit down South to help us with the girls.  The person that usually helps us with the girls during the week was out of town and with vacation time at work being valuable we needed help.  Of course it didn’t take much to get my mom, or other wise known as Mimi, to come down and spend the week.  I don’t know what we would have done without her help either.  I know she had fun and I know the girls had fun with their Mimi.  So with that being said, I thought the best I could do to thank her for her help was to at least make her some yummy pasta that could be eaten both warm or cold. This pasta dish combines ripe tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fragrant basil which are all great summer time ingredients.  We were all happy to have this pasta this week, it was great for lunch or dinner.  Also, add some chicken to it to make it a main dish.  And if you can get your hands on the America’s Test Kitchen magazine, some really great recipes inside.  My mom loved it so much that she asked me to pick her up her own copy.  I found mine at my local Whole Foods.

Pasta Caprese

Adapted from Best of America’s Test Kitchen

Print Recipe

1/4 cup extra -virgin olive oil

2-4 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp small shallot, minced

1 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes (about 3 large), cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice

12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 lb penne pasta (I used whole wheat)

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

salt and pepper

1 tsp sugar (optional)

Instructions:

Whisk together the oil, 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice, the garlic, shallt, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper together in a large bowl.  Add the tomatoes and gently toss to combined; set aside.  Do not marinate the tomatoes for longer than 45 minutes.

While the tomatoes are marinating, place the mozzarella on a plate and freeze it until it is slightly firm, about 10 minutes.  Freezing the cheese prevents it from turning chewy when it comes in contact with the pasta.  Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot.  Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente.  Drain well.

Add the pasta and mozzarella to the tomato mixture and gently toss them to combine.  Let the mixture stand 5 minutes.  Stir in thebasil, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add additional lemon juice or sugar to taste, if desired.  Serve immediately.