We just adore warm weather and sunshine. And to me, this dish is like summer in a bowl. It’s so light and refreshing! Yet at the same time, the combination of the garlic, basil and balsamic vinegar make it intensely flavorful. It’s definitely one of our favorite summertime dishes and is the perfect complement to grilled chicken or fish. Mangia!
P.S. This delicious and colorful pasta dish made it on the “Top 10 Reader Favorites of 2012!”
Ingredients
- 12 oz of Tinkyada brown rice spaghetti (or your favorite pasta)
- 16 oz of organic sweet grape, cherry or mixed medley tomatoes
- 8 oz fresh Italian whole milk mozzarella balls packed in water
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 tbsp of balsamic vinegar (Bariani brand is our favorite!)
- 3-4 heaping tbsp of fresh basil, minced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse tomatoes and cut into halves.
- Drain water from mozzarella balls and cut into bite-sized pieces.
- Mince fresh basil and garlic.
- Then, place all of the ingredients, except the pasta, into a large mixing bowl and combine well.
- Cover the bowl and allow it to marinate for at least one hour (see note below).
- When ready to serve, cook pasta according to instructions. (If using brown rice pasta, drain and rinse cooked pasta with cool water.)
- Place pasta back in cooking pot and add 3-4 large spoonfuls of the juices from the tomato mixture. Also add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1/2 tsp of sea salt. Toss pasta to combine.
- If using brown rice pasta, turn heat on low and reheat pasta just until warm, not hot. Remove from heat.
- Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and top with the caprese.
- Absolutely delicious as a meal by itself, or serve it with a side of grilled chicken or fish.
Notes
This caprese is super easy to put together, but becomes much more flavorful as you allow it time to marinate. So be sure to start this at least one hour before you plan to eat and then let the caprese sit on the counter for at least an hour before serving so the flavors have a chance to meld together.
We made this last night for dinner and it was delicious! We served it cold instead of warm and it was very yummy cold! Perfect for a hot weather night!
That’s exactly how my hubby prefers it – cold! You’re so right, Laura! 🙂 Thanks for sharing a kind word! Blessings, Kelly
This is gorgeous! I just love summery pasta dishes – what a lovely treat. 🙂 Hope you’ll swing by and check out my newly launched blog!
Hi, Erin! Congrats on your new blog. I’ll pop over to say HI! Thanks for taking the time to leave a kind note. Hope you enjoy this yummy caprese! Blessings, Kelly 🙂
That’s looks light and tasty. I love the colors of the tomatoes and basil. Thanks for sharing this at GF Wednesdays for September’s pasta theme.
Thanks, Linda! Appreciate you kind note and you hosting GFW! Always a treat to stop by and see what everyone is sharing. Blessings, Kelly 🙂
Hi! My husband and I really loved this! We were looking for something light and fresh for dinner tonight and we will be making this again.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a kind note. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it – this is definitely one of our favorite light dinners too! 🙂