Here's a formula for effortless summer food: the freshest ingredients plus a cook's restraint. Take this pasta. Just tear some bright-red tomatoes with your hands, pluck a little basil, and toss with seasoned pasta and dollops of creamy cheese. Crack black pepper on top, and dinner is ready.

Tomato and Basil Pasta

olive oil

garlic cloves

salt

pepper,

cooked and drained short pasta (such as campanelle)

tomatoes

cheese

basil leaves

Combine olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Toss in cooked and drained pasta. Tear tomatoes and cheese; scatter over pasta. Garnish with basil leaves, and sprinkle with pepper.

This is one of my favorite pasta dishes.  Love fresh Basil on my pizza too.

Have not made this yet, but I think it would make a great summer dish either served cold or room temperature with the fresh ingredients from my garden. Must find good mozzarella at the store tomorrow!

This was really good but instead of adding the tomatoes raw afterward, I put them in with the olive oil, and garlic. I also added some red pepper flakes.
When I dished it out, I put the pasta on the plate, then the mozzarella then hot pasta on top. That melted the cheese quickly. Instead of some of the salt I added parm cheese. Delish!

this was really good.  I rinsed the pasta off before adding it to the dressing and tomatoes and it was perfect.

let the mozzarella and tomatoes reach room temp before adding to the hot pasta. As for the salt, quite frankle I think the mozzarella has enough salt.

The dish is good but it would have better if I used less salt (my mistake)  and real good mozzarela (unemployment excluded buying the good stuff). I found the dish got cold quickly. Did anyone find this happening also?

tomato and basil pasta

Author : Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Instructions

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