I’m hot. You’re hot. She’s hot. We’re hot!
Sounds like a bad wedding band, right? As fond as I am of party hits from the 80’s, today I am actually just talking about the weather. It went from cold and rainy to sweltering and humid overnight in Chicago. Yesterday was the first day of the year where I had absolutely no interest in eating hot food. Too hot!
So, while strolling through the blessedly cool aisles of Whole Foods, I picked up the ingredients to make my favorite summertime pasta dish, one that is best served room temperature: spicy Caprese pasta.
Toss the hot pasta with the garlic-infused olive oil to add flavor.
Everyone loves Caprese salad, that perfect combination of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil. It seems like a no-brainer to use this heavenly combination of ingredients in pasta, but many recipes that I found for Caprese pasta turned out bland and uninspiring. So several years ago, I developed this version. This was probably one of the first original recipes I ever created. Not that it is so original, but still.
The key to this recipe is the sautéed garlic and red pepper flakes. When you toss the hot pasta with the garlic and chile-infused olive oil, the oil coats the pasta. This ensures that every bite of the dish is flavorful whether or not you manage to spear some tomato or cheese along with the pasta. And let’s face it. There are never enough tomatoes in these kind of chunky, no-sauce pasta dishes. When I serve this dish, my husband and I dig through the bowl, trying to load up our plates with all the delicious tidbits. That’s why I end up putting in a pint and a half of tomatoes. One pint isn’t quite enough but two pints is overwhelming.
In a few weeks, I will be able to buy all the ingredients for this pasta dish from the farmers market, but it is still too early here to find local cherry or grape tomatoes. While this recipe is outstanding with sweet-as-candy, sun-ripened local tomatoes, it is still pretty darn good with the supermarket variety. Needless to say, because Caprese pasta is best served room temperature and can be prepared in advance, this makes a great dish for entertaining or to bring to a potluck.
Stay cool friends!
- 1 lb. cavatappi or other curly pasta
- 3 TB extra-virgin olive oil
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1½ pints cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 balls fresh mozzarella, diced
- 1 oz basil leaves, cut into ribbons
- Cook the cavatappi according to the package directions.
- Toward the end of the cooking time for the cavatappi, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan.
- Add the minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté over low heat just until the garlic is fragrant, but not browned, about two minutes. Remove from heat.
- When the pasta is cooked to your liking, drain it and immediately add the hot pasta to the skillet with the garlic and toss to coat the pasta with oil.
- Pour the pasta and garlic mixture into a large serving bowl and allow the pasta to cool.
- Add the halved tomatoes, mozzarella and basil to the pasta in the bowl and toss to combine. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Serve room temperature.
Just made this – it’s excellent!
I’m so glad that the recipe worked for you Julie. Thanks for reading!