Tomato, Basil, Arugula & Mozzarella Pasta Salad

Jul 6

Jul 6 Tomato, Basil, Arugula & Mozzarella Pasta Salad

I got to escape to the beach this weekend to a friend’s home. He and I have been friends for over 30 years and he has been sheltering mostly on his own since the pandemic. He’s gotten his routine down to a science and I think he likes that I break up the monotony of self isolating. We like to say that we are together apart - we social distance, use masks and gloves when we need to and we each let the other do our thing. I float around and reconnect with friends who are out here. While he power washed his furniture, I made a pasta salad for the 4th to go to my friend’s house. I hesitated to post this recipe but it looked so festive and pretty and it is the perfect fresh salad for this time of year. Light, bright and always a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients

1 1/2 boxes of pasta

Fresh Mozzarella - I used 2 balls from Citarella’s

Tomatoes - I used 3 large heirloom tomatoes and 3 containers of small yellow tomatoes but you can use whatever looks good

2 bunches of Basil

Arugula - I used a few handfuls

Virgin Olive Oil - 2 - 3 Tablespoons

Kosher Salt & Freshly Ground Pepper

Directions

Boil water for Pasta. When it is rolling and boiling, add kosher salt to it. I don’t really know why I do this but I like infusing the noodles with a little bit of saltiness. Some people recommend making the water as salty as the sea but I was once told it helps keep the noodles from sticking and have always salted my water. When the water is ready, throw the pasta in but take a minute or two off the recommended time to cook. I like my noodles to be slightly on the harder side. I used the fusilli but you can use almost any shaped pasta. I prefer

While the water is boiling, start chopping your large tomatoes first. You want to cut them into bite size pieces. Throw them in a colander, sprinkle generously with kosher salt and let sit over a bowl (or just use a salad spinner) You want to drain the tomatoes but I use the juice separately in the salad. Cut the smaller tomatoes into similarly sized pieces. I cut each small tomato into 4 pieces. Add to the larger tomatoes, add a little more salt and let sit.

Cut your Basil. It’s not necessary to julienne neatly, rather I chop it into varied sizes.

Cut the Mozzarella into bite sized pieces

Rinse and dry your Arugula

When your pasta is ready (taste it!), drain it and rinse with cool water so that it stops cooking.

Transfer the pasta into the bowl you are going to serve it. Add the tomatoes, basil, mozzarella and arugula, drizzle with olive oil and season with Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper and toss.

I brought it to my friend, Syd’s home and it complemented her steak salad (I’ll provide that recipe as well as it was delicious) and BBQ Chicken.

Enjoy!