With the arrival of the warm weather, who feels like spending hours in the kitchen preparing a hot meal? I know I don’t. This summer pasta salad recipe is just perfect for those lazy lunches and balmy evenings in the South of France. You can add your own touch of creativity as it works equally well with different pasta shapes and gluten-free options. But from personal experience, I would stay away from spaghetti and linguini.
Summer Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 400g of pasta (I used penne but you can also use fusilli or farfalle)
- 250g of mini mozzarellas
- Cherry or grape tomatoes (as many as you like)
- 4 small courgettes (zucchini)
- 1 garlic clove or garlic powder
- 4 teaspoons of green pesto (optional)
- Good quality cold-pressed olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar (white vinegar if you prefer to keep your salad looking fresh)
- Basil leaves
- Sea salt
Preparation
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters.
- Put them into a large bowl and add a pinch of salt.
- Add the olive oil.
- Cut the garlic into small chunks and add to the bowl (if you love garlic, you can cut thin slices and leave them in). Use garlic powder if you don’t have fresh garlic.
- If using pesto, add 4 teaspoons to the tomatoes and mix it all together.
- Cut the mini mozzarella balls into halves.
- While the tomatoes are soaking up the olive oil marinade, cook the pasta.
- Put the pasta into a large saucepan of boiling water and add some salt.
- When the pasta is al dente, drain it. Taste it and adjust salt if needed.
- Transfer pasta to a large salad bowl and add the marinade while pasta is still warm.
- Give it a good mix before adding the zucchini and mozzarella.
- A final toss, add the basil leaves and serve.
