Ok, so I know it’s not summer yet, but with the beautiful warm weather we had this weekend, I could not resist making this pasta. It is so easy and soooo good. Summer pasta is filled with garlic, fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, chopped basil, and tons of parmesan cheese! It requires very little cooking time, so it is perfect for spring and summer! It tastes the best served at room temperature.
Start off by boiling a pot of water for the pound of pasta. I like to use the little tiny ditalini. You can just scoop it up with a spoon! It is really delicious with any pasta though.
Chop up 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese and two large tomatoes. It is best if the tomatoes are in season (aka Summer!!), but Campari brand tomatoes are a great alternative if you are making the pasta out of season!
Chiffonade the basil. A.K.A., roll up about 8 leaves and chop it up!
Then chop up your garlic. You are going to need about 10 cloves. It’s what makes this pasta so garlicky and amazingggg.
Saute the garlic in 1/2 cup of olive oil. I know this sounds like a lot but it is going to basically be the “sauce” for the pasta! You want to barely saute the garlic, I’m talking like 10-15 seconds tops. You don’t want it to brown because it will totally change the flavor of the pasta.
Toss the cooked pasta with the garlicky oil until it is completely coated.
Then toss in 1/2 cup of grated or shredded parmesan cheese. Remove the pot from the heat!
Then finally toss in the tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. The heat from the oil will just barely heat through the mozzarella and the tomatoes. If you heat the mozzarella too much it will get all stringy and then the tomato skins will start to come off and I hate both of those things.
Glorious, glorious pasta. Dig in! Printable is below!!
- 1 lb. small shaped pasta
- 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, diced
- 8 basil leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 10 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- 2. Saute the garlic in the olive oil for 10-15 seconds, until fragrant.
- 3. Toss the pasta with the garlic oil until coated in the pot.
- 4. Add the parmesan cheese and toss to coat.
- 5. Remove the pot from the heat and combine with the tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella.
- 6. Serve immediately or let sit at room temperature!
I'm a country girl at heart. I tried living in the city and it just didn't work. Welcome to my ramblings as a teacher and wife. 
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