Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta

Name: Fresh Tomato & Basil Pasta
Yield: Makes 6 Servings
Ingredients: fresh basil leaves, 1 cup packed(1 oz/30 g), torn into pieces; sea salt, ½ tsp; freshly ground black pepper, to taste; ripe heirloom tomatoes, 3 lb (1.5 kg), cored; garlic, 1 clove, pressed or minced; extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup(2 fl oz/60 ml); red pepper flakes (optional); balsamic vinegar, 2 Tbsp; mozzarella bocconcini, 8 oz (250 g), halved; Parmesan cheese, ¼ cup (1 oz/30 g) freshly grated; whole-wheat penne 12 oz (375 g)

Preparation info

Makes
6
Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Healthy in a Hurry

By Karen Ansel and Charity Ferreira

Published 2012

About

This celebration of tomatoes is a nearly no-cook pasta dish, perfect for summer evenings when it’s too hot to linger at the stove. Reserve this delicious pasta for when tomatoes are juicy and at their peak; the rest of the year, substitute tomato sauce.

Ingredients

extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup(2 fl oz/60 ml)
balsamic vinegar

Main course
Dinner
Vegetarian
Pasta
Summer

Method

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and black pepper.
Cut tomatoes in half horizontally and gently squeeze out seeds and discard, using your fingertip to nudge them if necessary. Chop tomatoes into bite-sized chunks. Add to bowl and stir gently to