I've been on a pasta binge the past few days…not because I buy produce in bulk, but because I've just been finding it easier to cook the same thing for lunch or dinner, recently. Also, one of the easiest things for me to make is pasta. Plus, it's easy to get all the ingredients at the local supermarket.
The recipe I based my Caprese Pasta Salad off of was the one by Laura Vitale. I love her simple recipes!
What you need:
1. Small pasta (I got shell pasta)
2. Tomatoes
3. Sweet Basil
4. Mozzarella balls
5. Salt
6. Pepper
7. Oregano
8. Garlic
9. Balsamic Vinegar
10. Olive Oil
Since I was cooking for just myself today, I used about a cup of dried shell pasta. Usually, when I make this dish for myself, I have enough for lunch and also a bit for an afternoon tea snack.
I chopped up one tomato.
I chopped up about 2 sprigs of Sweet Basil from the supermarket and 4 sprigs of Sweet Basil that I had grown on my own.
I also chopped up one italian mozzarella ball that I got front the supermarket.
I also put in salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 teaspoon of minced garlic, and 1/2 tablespoon of oregano.
I also used 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar as my dressing.
How to make it:
1. I think it depends how much pasta you'd like to incorporate into the salad. I personally like a good equal balance of pasta to my veggies, so I cooked about a cup of my shell pasta.
2. I then drained and cooled the pasta.
3. While my pasta was cooling, I chopped up one tomato, about 6 sprigs of sweet basil, and one mozzarella ball.
4. After the tomato, basil, and mozzarella were chopped up, I mixed it in with my shell pasta. And then I sprinkled on some salt and pepper, threw in 1/4 minced garlic, threw in 1/2 tablespoon of oregano, poured in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and then poured in 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar.
5. I mixed it all up and Voilà!
…yet another great and easy dish that is easy to make with the findings at my local Hong Kong grocery store!
