Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta
This Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta is a tasty summer dish combining beautiful fresh tomatoes, herbs, garlic, and mozzarella. Dubbed “Spaghetti No Knife” by Martha Stewart, she recommends tearing the tomatoes and cheese, but using a knife is a heck of a lot easier.
Perfect for lunch or as a summer side dish, this Caprese Pasta Salad is a taste of Italy, too. The addition of garlic and red pepper flakes gives the classic Caprese trio a zippy twist!
Why You Must Make
- This is truly a taste of summer made with garden or heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, and creamy fresh mozzarella.
- It’s a simple tomato pasta salad and all that needs to be cooked is the pasta.
- It makes a satisfying summer meal!!
Recipe Tips
- In the tomato off-season, use cherry or grape tomatoes, but this really is best made with garden or heirloom tomatoes.
- PRO-Tip: You do not need to peel your tomatoes, but if you want to, here is how. On the side opposite the stem, cut a shallow X, just through the skin. Drop the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for a minute or two, then place them in a bowl of ice water. After that, you can use your fingers and pull the peel right off the tomato.
- Martha suggests pulling the tomatoes and mozzarella apart with your fingers, but I prefer using a sharp knife to cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- I used 8 ounces of ciliegine mozzarella, which are small mozzarella balls. I cut them in half. They come water-packed. An 8-ounce ball of mozzarella may also be used. Just cut it into bite-sized cubes.
- PRO-Tip: Fresh herbs are imperative. Dried herbs just don’t cut it.
- There’s some heat from the red pepper flakes, which perks up the flavor. Decrease the amount if you’re not a fan, but I wouldn’t eliminate it.
- You can roast your garlic if you want a sweeter, more subtle garlic flavor. I used my garlic press to mince the fresh garlic, but another option is to smash your cloves with the side of a large knife and add them whole. The garlic flavor will infuse into the juices as it rests.
- The “sauce” can be made up to 8 hours ahead of time and kept at room temperature. Add the cheese and pasta before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Basil is a classic pairing with tomatoes, but oregano, cilantro, chives, rosemary, dill, and parsley also work well.
Always use the highest quality tomatoes available to you. Heirloom tomatoes are wonderful, as are homegrown garden tomatoes. If those aren’t available, cherry tomatoes, Campari tomatoes, and on-the-vine tomatoes usually have good flavor.
If you want a sweeter, more subtle garlic flavor, try roasting it. Roasting a whole head of garlic is easy. First, preheat your oven to 400°.
Next, cut off the top of the garlic head to expose each garlic clove. Place it on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle the exposed surface with olive oil. Wrap the foil around the garlic, sealing the top.
Roast for 30-40 minutes or until the garlic is soft and caramelized. Let cool before using.
There are a couple of ways to extract the roasted garlic from the head. You can squeeze the garlic head with your finger or a sturdy set of tongs. The individual cloves will emerge from their garlic paper wrappings. Or use a small fork or knife to pull out individual cloves.
You May Also Like:
- Tomato and Peach Salad
- Mozzarella, Tomato, and Strawberry Salad
- Burrata Caprese Salad
- Fresh Tomato Tart
- Plus, more of the Best Salad Recipes
Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta Recipe
A simple summer side dish or entree using summer's best tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghett or another pasta shape
- 4 medium garden or heirloom tomatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh basil
- 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh oregano
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced (may roast first for a mellower flavor)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella (I used small mozzarella balls or ciliegine)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, place the tomatoes, herbs, olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
- About an hour before serving time, cook the pasta in well-salted water according to the package instructions.
- Drain and set aside to cool.
- Add pasta to the tomato mixture and toss to combine.
- Add the mozzarella, toss, taste for seasonings and adjust as needed.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart.
In the off-season, you can make this with cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 332Total Fat: 25gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 250mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 3gProtein: 10g
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11 Comments on “Fresh Tomato Basil Pasta”
This recipe is so fresh and healthy! We loved it.
I love how refreshing this meal is!! Everyone at my house loved it!
My girlfriend is supplying me with sweet cherry tomatoes right off the vine. They are perfect for this past dish.
Love this fresh tomato basil mixture! So easy and keeps the ingredients so fresh and delicious. Need to try this soon while the tomatoes are in season.
We have a ton of basil in our garden at the moment, which I obviously need to use. 🙂 So your timing is perfect! Love pasta, and this is such a delightful looking dish. Thanks!
Perfect office lunch indeed! Great to pack and finish a minute before serving!
I simply adore nutritious and tasty meals like this one – and it is so easy to whip up! Simply scrumptious!
We’ve had an abundance of tomatoes this year so a similar pasta dish to this had made it to the table a few times. Since our basil is also doing well, I normally use fresh basil. I’ve never tried using roasted garlic, but that sounds interesting. My husband sometimes says the raw garlic is too strong. Thanks for sharing a classic with some changes from what I’m use too.
The perfect way to enjoy the flavors of summer! Delicious!
So simple, fresh and loaded with summer flavours!
angiesrecipes
http://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com
Spain spoiled us so much, their fruits and vegetables taste like they are supposed to, fresh and vibrant. I’ve been roasting tomatoes to get more flavour out of them. This pasta looks scrumptious, my basic is out of control, a perfect way to use them up.