Cold Italian Pasta Salad

Firm pasta coated in fruity olive oil, mixed with crunchy pine nuts and melting mozzarella. Fresh basil brings its aromatic power as soon as the dish is opened.

• Prep time: 15 min
• Cook time: 10 min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Calories: 731
• Protein: 23 g
• Carbs: 80 g
• Fat: 35 g

Ingredients

• 400 g Dried pasta ( cooked al dente )
• 250 g Solanum lycopersicum esculentum M. ( halved )
• 200 g Buffalo milk mozzarella ("di bufala") ( pearls or diced )
• 50 g Black olive ( pitted )
• 1 piece Basil ( chiffonade )
• 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 30 g Pine nut optional ( toasted )
• 1 pinch Gray sea salt
• 1 pinch Black pepper ground

Instructions

1. Cooking the pasta

   Plunge the dry pasta into a large volume of boiling salted water. Remove them as soon as they are al dente; they must still have a bite. Drain and rinse immediately with cold water to stop the cooking and remove sticky starch.

2. Preparing the garnish

   Cut the cherry tomatoes and mozzarella pearls in half. Finely slice the fresh basil. In a bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar until the mixture is homogeneous.

3. Assembly and resting

   Incorporate the cold pasta, tomatoes, mozzarella, black olives, and pine nuts into the dressing. Mix so that every ingredient shines under the oil. Season with grey sea salt and ground black pepper.

Chef's tips

• Rinse the pasta thoroughly with cold water to remove starch, otherwise the salad will be sticky.
• Dry-toast the pine nuts in a pan: as soon as they turn golden and smell nutty, remove them.

Storage

Keeps for 48 hours in the fridge in an airtight container. Take it out 15 minutes before serving so the oil becomes fluid again.