Cherry Tomato Caprese Pasta Salad
Ingredients
4 pints small tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons olive oil
16 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes and frozen for 10-15 minutes
1-2 cups fresh basil, chopped
1 pound small pasta, cooked and drained
Instructions
1. Toss tomatoes, sugar, and 1⁄2 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes and any accumulated liquid to salad spinner and spin to remove seeds and liquid. Return tomatoes to bowl. Pour tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer set over saucepan, pressing on solids to extract juice. (You should have about 1 cup liquid.)
2. Add vinegar and garlic to pan with tomato liquid and simmer over medium heat until reduced to 3 tablespoons, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature then whisk in oil.
3. Add cheese, basil, cooled dressing, and pasta to bowl with tomatoes and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Comments
I recently got a trial issue of the Cook’s Country magazine. This recipe comes from the August/September 2009 issue. I’m actually pretty pleased with the magazine and look forward to reading through more issues, although I’ll be getting it in annual form instead of with a monthly subscription.
I modified the recipe a bit since I wanted to include pasta. I think I like the recipe I posted previously for Pasta Caprese more, but this was still very tasty and I’ll probably end up making it again.
Shown here with Grilled Filet Mignon.
Cook’s Country 2009