Italian Pasta Salad With Balsamic
This delicious Italian pasta salad is made with fresh tomatoes, garlic, basil, fresh mozzarella, and penne pasta. It has the most delicious and simple balsamic and olive sauce to pull it all together and it is so easy to make. Make it for picnics or easy summer meals.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 ½ cups ripe tomatoes diced I like to use roma tomatoes
- 8 ounces large ball of fresh mozzarella you can also use small mozzarella balls (called bocconcini) and dice them up.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh basil sliced thin
- 3 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar plus more to taste
- 4 cloves of garlic sliced paper thin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper more if you like the heat
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt plus more to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Boil your pasta according to instructions on box for al dente.1 pound penne pasta
- While the pasta is cooking, slice your garlic as thin as possible and place in a large bowl.4 cloves of garlic sliced paper thin
- Add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, cayenne pepper, salt and basil to the bowl then mix and let it sit to let the flavors come together.3 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup olive oil, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ¼ cup fresh basil sliced thin
- Next dice up your tomatoes and add them to the bowl.1 ½ cups ripe tomatoes diced
- Dice fresh mozzarella into small ½ inch cubes and put aside.8 ounces large ball of fresh mozzarella
- When your pasta is cooked, add it to your bowl with the marinade and toss well.
- Taste for seasoning such as salt, more balsamic etc. based on your taste. I almost always add a pinch or dash of something at this stage since I like a lot of cayenne pepper and lots of balsamic.
- Once it is perfectly seasoned to your taste, add your fresh mozzarella cubes and toss again.
- Plate and serve!
Notes
(adapted from Williams-Sonoma)
Nutrition
Calories: 547kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 9mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer hereTried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!