Tomato, Mozzarella, and Balsamic Vinaigrette Pasta

Although recently it has seemed that summer is just around the corner,

we still get cold, rainy days (like today) that

call for warm, comfort food.

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Balsamic Vinaigrette Pasta

combines that warm, comfort feeling

with a little hint of summer.

Yummy, fast, and easy to eat as cold pasta salad days after making,

this recipe is one of our favorites.

Next time recipe suggestions: I have made this recipe before. This time, I cut up the mozzarella, but the first time I made it, I ripped up the mozzarella. Conclusion - rip up the mozzarella. The heat from the pasta makes the ripped mozzarella more gooey and stringy. So much more yummy. I also used pico de gallo instead of tomatoes the first time, which also turned out well. It had a little extra kick, but the ripe tomatoes give a fresher feel.

Ingredients:
Baby red tomatoes
Bow tie Pasta
Fresh mozzarella balls
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Fresh Basil (optional)


Before we begin with the cooking steps, we would like to make a confession - we did not use homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. However, balsamic vinaigrette dressing is super easy, cheap, and fast to make. At the end of this recipe, we will give the recipe to make this dressing in case you want to try it. Go ahead. Tell us how it turns out!

First, boil water and add a little salt. While the water is boiling, cut up baby red tomatoes and mozzarella (or save the mozzarella to rip up later!). We used a little bit less the a pint of the tomatoes.

Once water is at a roaring boil, add the pasta. Make sure to stir a few times throughout the noodles' cooking because they tend to clump together.

Drain the noodles and put in a bowl. Immediately add the mozzarella cheese so the heat can begin to melt (fresh mozzarella won't get as melted as packaged shredded cheese - but no worries, melted fresh mozzarella is so much more delicious). Add the cut up baby red tomatoes and stir. Finally, add the balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The dressing can be heated in the microwave for about 8 seconds prior to adding to the pasta or just added cold. It's all preference.

Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients:
(courtesy of the foodnetwork + my own intuition)


1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar (optional)
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. finely chopped black pepper
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp chopped basil (optional)


Mix vinegar, salt, sugar pepper, basil, and garlic in a bowl. Beat until sugar and salt dissolve. Next, add the oil, beating constantly (or shake in a tupperware container) for about 15 seconds. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference...and you're done! So fast and easy.

Happy Eating!