Caprese Fusilli

Our vegetable garden gave us beautiful vegetables and herbs this summer. Of them all, the yellow-gold cherry tomatoes was the best. With so many bite-sized, subtly sweet tomatoes, I had enough to last a couple of months. I wanted to use them for something other than salad, but still within a cool and light meal for our hot summer nights. The result was this spin on a caprese salad.

Caprese Fusilli

1 lb. Fusilli pasta (or your favorite pasta)
2-3 cups yellow cherry tomatoes
1-2 handfuls of fresh basil
Shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (the better the olive oil, the better this will turn out)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Red pepper flakes

Slice tomatoes in half and place in a large bowl. Coarsely chop basil and add to the tomatoes. Add a good amount of mozzarella - the amount is ultimately your choice. I like things cheesy so I add a lot. Add the salt, pepper, and a few shakes of red pepper flakes on top. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture and fold ingredients together. Taste this mixture and ensure that the olive oil, salt and pepper dressing has a bold enough flavor to coat the pasta. Cover while cooking the pasta.

Fill a pot with water and add a dash of kosher salt and a few drops of olive oil. Bring water to a boil over high heat and add pasta. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until al dente. Strain pasta in a colander but do not rinse the pasta with water! Shake the colander back and forth to drain as much water as possible. White still steaming hot, pour caprese mixture over the pasta and toss.

Enjoy!