Hi friends! I had the opportunity to write some recipes with Nuovo Pasta and play with some delicious cheese in recipes, my favorite past time and luckily, I had an amazing group of people ready to eat!

I made an Lemon Caprese Pasta Salad, perfect to prepare ahead of time for a late summer outing to the lake or a big potluck!

Check out the recipe on Nuovo Pasta's Facebook page or listed below!

Happy cooking!

Marina

Lemon Caprese Pasta Salad

Servings: 4-5

Instructions

Wash all produce: lemons, tomatoes, basil. Dry and set aside.
Fill a pot with 4 quarts of water, add salt, and a bit of olive oil. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat.
While waiting for the water to boil, make the dressing. Whisk together the juice of 1 lemon, 1 Tbsp. dijon mustard, 1 chopped garlic clove, and ¼ cup roughly chopped basil leaves. After everything is whisked and combined, slowly (while still whisking) add in the olive oil (about ¼ cup). Add salt to taste. Set aside.
Once water is boiling, add the package of tortellini. Stir continuously for 2-3 minutes so the pasta does not stick together. Remove from stove and drain in colander. Set aside.
Slice the tomatoes into wedges, chop the mozzarella into ¼ inch pieces, and set aside.
To toast the pine nuts, heat a cast iron skillet to medium high. Do not add oil. Toast for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. For a quick seared lemon to top of the pasta, slice a lemon in half and place flesh down and sear for 4-5 minutes or until sear marks are seen.
In a large bowl, add tortellini, tomatoes, mozzarella, toasted pine nuts and stir until nicely combined. Add in the dressing and mix until evenly coated.
Squeeze the seared lemon on top, serve and enjoy!

Ingredients

1 family sized package of Nuovo Pasta Tri-Color Cheese Tortellini

4 fresh tomatoes

8 oz. of mozzarella

¼ cup of pine nuts

1 lemon (to sear and to finish on top)

salt

Lemon Dressing

1 lemon (juice)

¼ cup basil (6-7 leaves)

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 clove of garlic

¼ cup Olive oil

Salt

lemon caprese pasta salad