(Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style.)
For the pasta salad:
1/2 pound spiral pasta
1 pound ripe tomatoes, medium-diced
3/4 cup good black olives, such as kalamata, pitted and diced
1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, medium-diced
about 6 sun-dried tomatoes not oil-packed, chopped (or drained if in oil)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup packed basil leaves, chopped
And for the dressing:
about 5 more sun-dried tomatoes (again not oil-packed)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, diced (n.b. dice using the food processor)
2 teaspoons capers, drained
1.5 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cook the pasta as directed. Drain well and rinse with cold water until cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
For the dressing, combine the sun-dried tomatoes, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, capers, salt, and pepper in a food processor until almost smooth.
Pour the dressing over the pasta, add the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.
This pasta salad is fantastic as a side dish or a delicious and light summer dinner on its own. We make it a lot. If you invite us to a barbecue, we’ll probably bring this along.
The recipe above is essentially the same as Ina’s, but with less excessive quantities of mozzarella and black pepper.